Clos de la Roilette – 2015

15.3.2017billn

Tasted with Alain Coudert in Fleurie, 10 February 2017.

Domaine Clos de la Roilette
Clos de la Roilette
69820 Fleurie
Tel: +33 4 74 69 84 37
www.clos-de-la-roilette.com

Alain on 2016:
70% hailed on average, though a couple of parcels lost 100% – two Fridays 4 weeks apart! I had some insurance and was allowed the purchase of a similar volume of bulk wine from neighbours. The grapes that survived were really good as the weather was perfect after the 14th July. The grapes were well matured and delivered 12.5-13.5° – though I can’t really compare the vintage to 2015!

Alain on 2016:
2015 is a little less classic for the crus, than either 2014 or 2016 – but they are supple and they are complete. I have maybe only about 60% of a normal yield – though the quantity of grapes was normal, it was just that they were very small grapes. I noted that in one tiny parcel, with almost no soil, the vines chose to drop all their grapes in the heat, but kept their green leaves – I’ve never seen that before – the vines sacrificing their fruit to save themselves!

I asked Alain if he could increase his prices based on the quality of the vintage – “Unfortunately Beaujolais is not really credible from price perspective – though maybe I can get another 30 or 40 centimes…!

The wines…

The 2014s didn’t show exceptionally last time I visited, but this is a seriously good cellar for 2015s!

2015 Fleurie
80% from Roilette and the rest from other parcels with 20-25% clay that ‘adds a little robustness. 13.5° here, some of later cuvées were closer to 14.5°’
Deeply coloured, equally deep aromatics, muscular but with really attractive deeply dark fruit. Expressive, nicely layered – this is showing in very comely fashion – attractive, textured and with a fine width of plump fruit. A little faintly bitter rigour in the finish – and this is means the overall effect avoids being too simple. I like this very much – excellent!

2015 Clos de la Roilette Cuvée Tardive
Parcels here in Roilette from old vines of at least 70 years old “Really the cuvée to drink a little later – but I don’t write vieilles vignes because it really doesn’t mean that much.” 90% elevage in foudres for about 8 months. The name tardive is not because they choose later harvesting. rather because these vines take longer to mature.
A little narrower nose, but really deep and certainly a finer detail with a suggestion of flowers too. Ooh – fabulous texture, a growing intensity, more waves of flavour, modestly textured with ripe tannin – really, really an impressive wine. Bravo! Great wine – one of my favourites this week!
2015 Clos de la Roilette Griffe du Marquis
The stamp of the Marquis on this wax-topped, sommelier bottle. The same vines as tardive but matured in older barrels for 1 year before assembly into tank for 3 months. First produced in 2009.
A broad dark nose, here augmented with some vanilla – slowly a very nice overlay of flowers too – lots of potential. Very wide, great concentration, really great silky texture before the higher order of tannin exerts some grip – the barrel is of-course present, but in 6-8 years which this wine deserves, as a minimum, I doubt that you will notice. Encore bravo!

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