Wine Advisor
Domaine Roulot, Meursault 1er Cru Perrieres 2012
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2012 Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières comes from vines bought in 1976 by Guy Roulot and Pierre Matrot and shared (for a purported sum of 5,000 francs.) This has fulfilled its promise since I last tasted it in November from cask. This has a very “correct” bouquet: granite, smoke and flint, almost with a nod to the Mosel coming through with time. The palate is extremely well balanced, a little “fuller” in the mouth than Les Charmes but not quite expressing the terroir in the same clinical and exuberant fashion. This is more straight-laced and yet there is an enormously long, shaved ginger aftertaste – a mark of that “feistiness” I remarked on previously. Outstanding…but dare I say that Charmes might turn out even better in the long run? Cannot wait to find out.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2012 tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Meursault 1er Cru les Perrières from Jean-Marc Roulot exhibits a lot of reduction, perhaps too much and consequently it erases some of the terroir expression and the precision demonstrated by the Perrières from Comtes-Lafon. The palate has a dash of white pepper on the entry: a keen line of acidity, commendable weight in the mouth, powerful but just a little smudged right on the finish due to the alcohol (so I dock a point!).
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2012 Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrieres, which is being matured in 30% new oak, has a sophisticated bouquet that is initially understated and only gradually unveils flint and granitic scents, followed by Granny Smith apple and white peach. The palate is simply gorgeous: beautifully balanced with pitch perfect acidity. It has ineffable focus and precision, nothing out of place, yet not an extravagant wine in any wine. The finish has a hint of feistiness that might become accentuated after bottling. Superb. Due to the exceptionally late malolactic fermentation, I only tasted around half of Jean-Marc Roulot’s 2012s. It was the usual travails that discombobulated the vineyards in 2012: poor flowering, rain in the early half of the season and pressure of mildew. The hailstorm on June 30 affected Jean-Marc’s parcels in the north of Meursault village, the second in August more those in the south. I will return next year to make a full account of his 2012s, but here are the five that were in a representative condition to taste. Importer: Kermit Lynch, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524.
About the Producer
Domaine Roulot, founded by Guillaume Roulot in 1830, is well respected Meursault-based domaine producing mainly Chardonnay wines from a range of premier cru and village-level sites across the appellation. The wines are held in high esteem by critics and are much sought-after. The domaine is currently run by actor-turned-winemaker Jean-Marc Roulot. Roulot has numerous holdings across Meursault premiers crus, including 0.28 hectares (0.69 acres) in Charmes, 0.26 hectares (0.64 acres) in Perrières and 0.16 hectares (0.39 acres) in Les Bouchères, as well as 0.2 hectares (0.5 acres) in neighboring Monthélie Premier Cru Les Champs Fulliots. A further four hectares (ten acres) cover village-level vineyards in Meusault such as Les Luchets and Les Tessons Clos de Mon Plaisir – a wine strongly associated with the Roulot label. All are Chardonnay based wines, although the domaine also produces an Aligoté, a Bourgogne Blanc and Rouge, an Auxey-Duresses Premier Cru, and a village-level red. The red wines are made from Pinot Noir – Burgundy's key red grape variety. Domaine Roulot established itself in the upper echelon of white Burgundy producers under the late Guy Roulot. Guy was one of the first producers of the region to bottle single vineyards separately, including village lieux-dits. He died in 1982 and his son Jean-Marc took over in 1989, farming the vineyards organically. As well as winemaking, Jean-Marc Roulot is also known for his cinematographic appearances (he initially studied screen acting in Paris), including the Burgundy-based coming-of-age film Ce Qui Nous Lie (released as "Back to Burgundy" for anglophone audiences), parts of which were filmed at the domaine
