Tasted with Alain and Christie Coudert in Fleurie, 07 February 2019.
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 2018:
“2018 – it was a good one. A very wet start of the year – it was 15 June before the rain stopped – but it gave us a reserve of water that was needed as there were only a couple of small downpours later in the summer. A very favourable year to work in the vines, an early harvest date of 25 August for Brouilly and 29 August for Fleurie – but what’s early these days? But yes it was early, roughly a couple of weeks early versus the normal. Less excess of heat – we had 35-36°C but not closer to 40°C like we saw in 2015. Not a large yield but a correct one – approaching 50 hl/ha.”
Alain on 2017:
“In 2017 it was the 10 July that brought the worst of the two storms – in 2017 our yields were even worse than in 2016 – 70-80% was lost. They were only small hailstones but the wind was like a tornado so it also made a lot of damage to the wood. We are 30% below a full vintage when I combine the volumes of 16 and 17. 14 and 15 were both about 45 hl/ha like in 2018. The amount of triage was more in 2017 as the hail was quite late in the vintage – so lots of work – the harvest was about the 9th September, but the vines stopped maturing for a time after the hail, so without that, we would have probably harvested about the same time as in 2018.”
The wines…
Super, ultra classic wine, mineral and of depth. Your patience will be rewarded.
The first mise (bottling) was in April, the second in May-June – so all of these are bottled:
2017 Brouilly
The vines come from the maternal side of the family, but it’s only a small parcel.
Hmm – here is a lovely and vibrant depth of dark-red fruit – a fine invitation. A good mouth-filling volume here – a touch of metallic in the flavour, but drive, good energy and a fine balance. Quite a mineral and driving wine. Mouth-watering in the persistent finish.
2017 Fleurie Cuvée Christie
Not allowed to say Christal any more! (thank-you Champagne) Mainly sold in US and Netherlands.
Hmm a depth of aroma here – ooh that’s a great invitation – perfumed. Like the nose, super depth, layers indeed wide waves of fresh, flavour. Dark fruited – almost licorice but sweeter. Vibrant but deep flavoured in the finish with a faint tannin – but very faint. Ooh – excellent wine, finishing principally on the fruit vs the Brouilly that currently finishes principally on the mineral aspects.
2017 Fleurie Clos de la Roilette
The ‘Classic’cuvée
Good width of fresh aroma, but tighter below. Ooh mouth-filling, fresh, sleek but always with volume. This is tightly mineral today. Ooh it leaves a great impression – chance of a great wine here – but definitely for the patient! Super stuff.
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.
Ooh! Not full power but a nose of detail, focus and beautiful fruit – yes! Equally mouth-filling, equally mineral, but here is just enough depth of dark fruit, that there is an easier, more comforting line today – this is great stuff – bravo – and such a great finish!
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. Bottled about 6 weeks.
Wow – a completely different and massively more complex nose – still dark fruited but a ‘wow’ aromatic here. More like the Clos than the Tardive – even more mouth-filling volume, more fine-grained tannin, some fruit but less overt than the tardive. An insistent intensity here. Great wine but wait 5-8 years!
And for the pleasure a little:
Just a hint less colour. A bigger nose, a deeper nose – more of everything here – you could have a grand cru from further north in your glass. Like the 2017, there is a fresh volume, tons of complexity, but a side to this wine that says – too soon – hyper complex – a little more herb to found in this one – again brilliantly long. Still absolutely a baby – also wait at least 5 years.
Now a finer complexity and the first that’s starting to show some perfume – super-fine grain to the complexity. Hyper silky, drive and energy – not at all unlike the last two. Mineral, still some structural rigour, but just starting to melt a little at the edges now – probably 09-11 are starting to drink, this needs more time – but it’s close.