Tasted in Meursault with oenologist Annabel followed by Jean-Marc, 25 October, 2016.
Domaine Roulot
1 Rue Charles Giraud
21190 Meursault
Tel: +33 3 80 21 21 65
www.domaineroulot.fr
Some thoughts on the recent vintages:
On 2016:
“In 2016 everyone expected that they had lost 80%, but in the end it was 62% lost for us, versus our reference of 2011. Perrières was not bad, though the bottom of Charmes below didn’t escape – here it was like the Bourgogne, and our Clos Baronne delivered only 7 barrels from 1.2-plus hectares. The quality of the grapes was good though, and we have had no issues as they Ferment. I bought some grapes to make a Bourgogne to use up the new barrels rather than leave them empty – it’s not easy to find good grapes here, so I have some good grapes from Mâcon!”
On 2015:
“Not the elegance of 2014, but dynamic. I had 2009 in my head and to keep freshness, we had to go early. Not easy to press. The 09s that were picked early are doing well, but this has more concentration than the 09s a certain dry extract quality. We started on the 27th August. The rain in August really helped the harvest – the same as the September rain in 2016. The wines are more open and a little warmer than the 2014s at the same time in elevage – they are generous but not heavy. ”
The wines…
A little less consistent in the ‘house style’ vernacular than was the case for the 2014s at this time last year. But there are many great wines, as to be expected…
From about 4.5 hectares of vines, mainly behind the domaine but a hectare in the Puligny area too – all-told about 13 parcels. The wine is in tank, assembled mid-Sept. This year it’s 13 degrees normally it’s between 12-12.5°
A very faint reduction, but his is really more floral. Wide, vibrant, mouth-watering. Really excellent in the mouth – this is a lovely wine despite the modest nose today. Yum! A very tidy length too.
2015 Meursault Vireuls
Planted by Jean-Marc’s father in 1968…
A tighter, finer nose – faint reduction – attractively so. Bigger, richer but with a good balance and clear notes of complexity and a good lingering mid-palate flavour. Super intensity.
2015 Meursault Meix Chavaux
Again, a tighter nose, lots of volume in the mouth, very good energy and a clean and very tasty Meursault character to the flavours. A nice burst of mid-palate flavour with a sweet agrume expression. Very tasty again!
2015 Meursault Luchets
A narrower nose, here with a fine vibrancy. Here is a big wine, in volume, but fine textured waves of fruit. Pretty, if reductive, in the mid-palate, mandarin flavour – yum!
The last cuvée for some time, as the vines have been taken out. They were on SO4 and the volumes have gone down and down…
There is a more classic wine for this domaine; with a vibrant, reductive quality to the nose – agrumes certainly. Big volume, lots of energy, very fine mid-plate and finishing complexity. Bravo!
2015 Meursault Tessons, Clos de Mon Plaisir
By the 8th Sept this would have been 14.5°, it’s already near 13.5° but seems to carry it well…
Not an overt nose, but silky and with some width. Another wine that is vibrant and alive in the mouth – this I very much love. The same in the finish if on a slightly lower register. Again a super wine.
There was a higher and lower section but the higher is being replanted, so this from dessous. First harvest in 2020 from the new vines.
Still a certain shyness, but a super vibrant core of aroma – richer, but with gorgeous mouth-watering agrume notes – beautiful fruit. Really beautiful fruit.
2015 Meursault 1er Clos de Bouchères
This 1.3 hectare clos is a monopole of the domaine – 2011 was the first vintage.
A wider nose, still the house style with a reductive agrume impression. A little less obvious richness, fine texture, and a wide steely mineral impression. Fine if less overt energy. Lovely and caressing and it holds beautifully….
Vines from the 1950s.
Here is the classic Roulot nose of reductive agrumes – and vibrant too. Volume, but fresh – a wine of super complexity and boundless energy, not a wine of richness compared to some of the others. A growing circle of super flavour.
Then a series of négoce wines:
2015 Corton-Charlemagne
Direction Ladoix.
Didn’t cut, and couldn’t say when to harvest, but this smells great and in the house style too. In the mouth a little more pliable, a hint softer perhaps but with fine waves of flavour and of-course very good concentration. Really lovely finish – hmm…
2015 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Caillerets
Delicate and complex – this is beautifully attractive. Volume but not fat, very complex in the mid-palate, still not the definition of most here, but gorgeously flavoured. The finishing waves are mineral but cushioned…
2015 Chevalier-Montrachet
Just one barrel…
Like most, the aromas are appealing and fresh without great weight. Quite large in volume, intense but cushioned, the mid-palate has a very fine clarity and holds very impressively. It fades quickly but then holds a long tone well – like the note on Sergeant Pepper. Obviously great wine, if not obviously Chevalier today…