Visit Domaine Roulot, Tasting of the 2013 vintage

Domaine Roulot is one of my favorite producers of white Burgundy and it was therefore a treat to taste – almost – the full range of 2013s with Jean-Marc Roulot in Meursault on my March trip to Burgundy. 

Photo: Jean-Marc Roulot

Domaine Roulot … the 2013 vintage

Jean-Marc Roulot have made the best of the 2013 vintage, and his wines are among the finest whites I have tasted from this lovely vintage .. for the whites!

The Roulot 2013s are very pure and crisp and where other 2013s can be a bit rough around the edges, the Roulot wines show a pure and filigree delicacy in the expression of the fruit. 

Make no mistake .. I love the nerve and energy in the 2013 vintage, and when combined with refinement and delicacy .. then we certainly have something special in the glass. Perhaps the ripeness level of the vintage in general is not quite up there with the 2010s, but the overall purity of the 2013s is better due to the lesser botrytis influence in the 2013 vintage.

So bottom line … the 2013s from Roulot are very pure, vibrant and with a magnificent nerve and energy .. this is the way a good white Burgundy should taste in my view.

Tasting notes – Domaine Roulot 2013

The Roulot 2013s had just been bottled when I tasted the lineup on March 17th 2015. All the wines presented showed very well with little or no signs of the recent bottling.

Domaine Roulot, Bourgogne Blanc 2013
The Bourgogne Blanc 2013 from Roulot is a lovely classy wine for its level .. with a true Roulot expression. In the nose vibrant white and yellow fruits with a fresh citrus infused minerality. On the palate crisp and pure fruit … brought forward by the energetic 2013 acidit. It’s focused and with a very good verve for this level .. and quite powerful for a generic Burgundy. A lovely energetic glass of white Burgundy … 

(Drink From 2018) – Very Good – (86 – 87p) – Tasted 17/03/2015.

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Domaine Roulot, Meursault Vireuils 2013
The Meursault Vireuls 2013 from Roulot is showing all the qualities of the vintage. The bouquet is very forward offering a quite perfumed and refined aromatic profile of white orchard fruits, white flowers spiced with a quite intense citrus infused minerality. On the palate pure and lovely fruit – quite intense with a gorgeous vivid acidity.

(Drink From 2020) – Very Good – (89 – 90p) – Tasted 17/03/2015

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Domaine Roulot, Meursault Les Meix Chaveaux 2013
The Meix Chaveaux 2013 is also this year a step up in weight and concentration. In the bouquet more expressive yellow orchard fruits. On the palate very good weight for this level …. pure and vibrant  .. powered by the magnificent 2013 acidity and a slightly salty minerality. A lovely … somewhat more voluptuous Meursault … perfectly balanced by the fine acidity.

(Drink From 2022) – Very Good+ – (90 – 91p) – Tasted 17/03/2015

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Domaine Roulot, Meursault Les Luchets 2013
The Meursault Les Luchets 2013 – located on the slope above Meix Chaveaux is showing more mineral character and refinement. In the bouquet airy white orchard fruit with slight hints of acacia flower and a powerful citrus infused minerality. On the palate lovely pure fruit – brought forward by a very vibrant acidity and intense minerality. It’s quite firmly structured by the lovely crunchy minerality and the very crisp acidity. A magnificent village.

(Drink From 2022) – Fine – (91 – 92p) – Tasted 17/03/2015

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Domaine Roulot, Meursault Les Tillets 2013
The Meursault Les Tillets 2013 – made even higher up on the sloape – is a mineralic powerhouse. In the bouquet airy white fruit with slight hints of peach and grapefruit – powered by a stony/flinty citrus infused minerality. On the palate very crisp .. with a expressive cool white fruit focused by a powerful minerality and the tremendous acidity. This is a wine for fans of mineral driven Meursaults … this is certainly my kind of Meursault. As often with the Roulot village wines … it’s not necessarily better than the Luchets  – it’s just different. 

(Drink From 2022) – Fine – (91 – 92p) – Tasted 17/03/2015

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Domaine Roulot, Meursault Tesson 2013
The Meursault Tesson 2013 is a step up in concentration and intensity even from the Les Luchets. In the bouquet deeper and more intense fruit .. balanced more toward the intense yellow fruit … with a deep more powerful minerality underneath the ample fruit. On the palate … same story … layers of deep and quite powerful fruit on the midpalate .. all brought forward by a vibrant and energetic acidity and the deep minerality. A magnificent Meursault village in the making … this is clearly in 1er cru territory?

(Drink From 2022) – Fine+ – (92 – 93p) – Tasted 17/03/2015

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Domaine Roulot, Meursault Porusot 2013
The Porusot is a step up in mineralic intensity in its own slightly edgy way … although the 2013 seems remarkably refined. The nose is bursting with minerality and a offers a nice balance between white and yellow fruit. On the palate fresh and vibrant fruit supported by the quite powerful minerality very fine length and balance. A surprisingly refined Poruzots.

(Drink From 2025) – Fine+ – (92 -93p) – Tasted 17/03/2015

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Domaine Roulot, Meursault Clos des Boucheres 2013
The Meursault Clos des Boucheres is a quite new wine in the Roulot lineup – the first vintage was 2011. This gorgeous vineyard located just above the northern part of Porusot and just south of Goutte d’Or. The vineyard combines refinement with some of the mineralic power found in the Porusot – the result is both refined and delicate. In the nose fine airy white fruit with a refined filigree citrus infused minerality. On the palate refined almost silky fruit powered forward by the vibrant acidity and the harmonious mineralic backbone. A remarkably refined and elegant Meursault 1er in the making.

(Drink From 2024) – Very Fine – (94p) – Tasted 17/03/2015 – cask sample.

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Domaine Roulot, Meursault Charmes 2013
The Meursault Charmes is a lovely wine, although I prefer the refinement of the Clos des Boucheres. The Roulot Chames is made from very old vines … and this is quite apparent when one taste the wine. The bouquet offer rich layered white and yellow fruit, forward with a slight opulence, a hint of mint and a quite discrete view of the mineral backbone. On the palate rich and layered fruit – quite silky and aromatic – with a core of intense yellow fruit – al focused by a nice minerality. A mighty Charmes, but not quite matching the Boucheres in my view … but I suppose it’s a matter of preference.

(Drink From 2025) – Very Fine – (93p) – Tasted 17/03/2015

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Domaine Roulot, Meursault Perrieres 2013
The greatness of the Roulot Perrieres is however not a matter of preference … it’s a big step up from the otherwise very fine Les Charmes. Les Perrieres is the missing grand cru of Meursault with its sheer weight and underlying mineralic power – and Roulot’s Perrieres is made from a perfectly located plot on the northern part of Perrieres Dessous. In the nose gorgeously pure white and yellow orchard fruits – notes of pear and hints of more exotic fruits – powered and focused by a powerful yet refined minerality. On the palate crystal clear, weighty and powerful – with a beautifully focused and very pure fruit. Love the vibrant energy from the 2013 acidity, the nerve and minerals tension. A mighty and magnificent Meursault Les Perrieres … with an almost Moselle like raciness

(Drink From 2027) – Outstanding –  (95p) – Tasted 17/03/2015

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Concluding remarks

The 2013s from Roulot are magnificent in my view and better than the otherwise lovely 2012s I tasted last year. I love the acidity and the more cool and classic styled wines produced in 2013, although it was a vintage produced under difficult conditions with serious hail damage in certain vineyards.

Somehow the best producers in Cote de Beaune seem to overcome the difficulties and produce some high quality wines in almost all recent vintages. It’s hard to rank the last vintages .. but the 2013s are high on my list of good vintages from Domaine Roulot.  

Tasting Notes for this producer

• Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Meix Chavaux 1992 June 30, 2020
• Domaine Roulot Meursault Charmes 2007 June 27, 2020
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Meix Chaveaux 2008 December 23, 2016
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Les Luchets 2011 September 4, 2016
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Les Tillets 2010 August 29, 2015
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Les Tillets 2013 August 24, 2015
• Domaine Roulot, Bourgogne Blanc 2013 August 19, 2015
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Tesson 2013 August 16, 2015
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Poruzot 2013 August 10, 2015
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Charmes 2013 August 9, 2015
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Clos des Boucheres 2013 August 9, 2015
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Perrieres 2013 August 8, 2015
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Meix Chaveaux 2010 December 12, 2014
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Les Luchets 2012 December 11, 2014
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Les Luchets 2012 May 27, 2014
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Porusot 2012 May 25, 2014
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Tesson 2012 May 15, 2014
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Les Meix Chaveaux 2012 May 8, 2014
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault 2012 May 6, 2014
• Domaine Roulot, Bourgogne Blanc 2012 May 4, 2014
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Clos des Boucheres 2012 April 25, 2014
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Perrieres 2012 April 20, 2014
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Les Tesson 2011 April 7, 2014
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Les Tessons 2007 April 2, 2014
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Perrieres 2005 March 31, 2014
• Domaine Roulot, “R” Meursault 2010 February 11, 2014
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Les Luchets 2008 September 17, 2013
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Les Vireuils 2010 September 16, 2013
• Domaine Roulot, Bourgogne Blanc 2010 September 6, 2012
• Domaine Guy Roulot, Le Meix Chavaux 2010 July 19, 2012
• Domaine Roulot, Les Tessons – Clos de Mon Plaisir 2008 May 8, 2012
• Domaine Roulot, Meursault Tillets 2009 February 15, 2012

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