Visit Domaine Roulot – tasting of the 2014s …

Jean-Marc Roulot have made some truly delightful 2014s, they are pure, delicate and vibrant with a rarely seen refinement and filigree detail.

It’s always a treat to taste the Meursaults from Domaine Roulot, and this year I also had the pleasure of tasting two wines from the new negociant extension of Domaine Roulot – a Corton Charlemagne and a Chevalier-Montrachet

Photo: Jean-Marc Roulot 2015

Domaine Roulot … the 2014 vintage

The 2014s showed very well at the tasting on March 24^th 2016 – pure and delicate with all the fine qualities the outstanding 2014 vintage offers.

Domaine Roulot, Bourgogne Blanc 2014
The Bourgogne Blanc 2014 from Roulot is a tremendous effort for this level … with a true expression of the house style. In the nose vibrant white and yellow fruits with a fresh citrus infused minerality – quite flowery and delicate. On the palate, airy and pure fruit … very harmonious and balanced. A lovely glass of white Burgundy … 

(Drink From 2018) – Good+ – (87 – 88p) – Tasted 24/03/2016 – from bottle

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Domaine Roulot, Auxey-Duresses 2014
The Auxey-Duresses Blanc is showing beautifully – the first time I taste this cuvee made from 60 years old vines. The bouquet is quite forward offering a quite flowery and refined aromatic profile of white orchard fruits and white flowers spiced with a quite intense citrus infused slightly edgy minerality. On the palate pure and delicate fruit – quite weighty with a firm but detailed minerality. A truly fine glass of white Auxey-Duresses … 

(Drink From 2020) – Very Good – (88 p) – Tasted 24/03/2016 – from bottle

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Domaine Roulot, Meursault 2014
The “generic” Meursault 2014 from Roulot is showing all the delicate qualities of the vintage. The bouquet is very forward offering a crystalline expression of white orchard fruits brought forward by a filigree citrus infused minerality. On the palate pure and lovely airy fruit – quite intense with a nice vivid acidity. Love the purity and delicacy.

(Drink From 2022) – Very Good – (89 – 90p) – Tasted 24/03/2016 – from bottle

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Domaine Roulot, Meursault Les Meix Chaveaux 2014
The Meix Chaveaux 2014 is a step up in weight and complexity from the lovely generic Meursault. In the bouquet more expressive yellow orchard fruits – additional depth in the fruit aromas. On the palate very good weight for this level …. pure and juicy with a lovely mid-palate depth. A lovely and charming … somewhat voluptuous Meursault … perfectly balanced by the delicate acidity. 

(Drink From 2024) – Very Good+ – (91 – 92p) – Tasted 24/03/2016 – from bottle.

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Domaine Roulot, Meursault Les Luchets 2014
Moving up the slope … Meursault Les Luchets 2013 – located above Meix Chaveaux .. is showing more mineral character and refinement. In the bouquet airy white orchard fruits with delicate hints of acacia flower and a filigree but powerful citrus infused minerality. On the palate lovely airy fruit – nice exotic mid-palate fruit (very old vines)  – brought forward by the vivid acidity and intense minerality. Lovely complexity here … what a lovely village Meursault.

(Drink From 2024) – Fine – (92p) – Tasted 24/03/2016 – from bottle

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Domaine Roulot, Meursault Vireuils 2014
Moving further up … the Meursault Vireuls 2014 from Roulot is showing all the delicate qualities of the vintage. The bouquet is forward offering a quite perfumed and refined aromatic profile of white orchard fruits, white flowers spiced with and focused by a quite intense minerality. On the palate pure and lovely fruit – quite intense with a delightfully vivid acidity – love the focus and refinement here.

(Drink From 2022) – Fine+ – (92p) – Tasted 24/03/2016 – from bottle

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Domaine Roulot, Meursault Les Tillets 2014
The Meursault Les Tillets – made even higher up on the slope (and south) – is a mineralic powerhouse and aside from Tesson my favorite among the Roulot village wines. In the bouquet airy white fruit with slight hints of white peach and grapefruit – powered by a stony/flinty minerality. On the palate very crisp .. with a delicate cool white fruit focused by a powerful minerality and the energetic acidity. This is a wine for fans of mineral driven Meursaults. As often with the Roulot village wines … they are quite evenly matched and the personal preference will pick the favorite .. I do have some personal favorites .. but I really enjoy them all.

(Drink From 2024) – Fine+ – (92p) – Tasted 24/03/2016 – from bottle

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Domaine Roulot, Meursault Tesson 2014
The Meursault Tesson 2014 is a step up in concentration and intensity – in reality this is well into the 1er cru territory quality wise. In the bouquet deeper and more intense fruit .. balanced more towards the intense yellow fruit … with a deep more powerful minerality underneath the ample fruit. On the palate layers of deep and juicy fruit – generous and intense, with a very long and balanced finish. A magnificent Meursault village … up there with the very best … tremendous effort.

(Drink From 2025) – Very Fine – (93p) – Tasted 24/03/2016

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Domaine Roulot, Meursault Porusot 2014
The Porusot is a step up in mineralic intensity in its own slightly rustic or edgy way … although the 2014 seems remarkably refined. The nose is bursting with minerality and a offers a nice balance between white and yellow fruit. On the palate pure and airy fruit supported by the powerful minerality – very fine length and balance. The question is however … is it superior to Les Tesson? … in my view not … yes it’s perhaps a larger framed wine, but the complexity and detail is somehow better in Tesson.

(Drink From 2025) – Very Fine – (93p) – Tasted 24/03/2016

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Domaine Roulot, Meursault Charmes 2014
The Meursault Charmes has been demoted to third rank in the Meursault lineup at chez Roulot – after the Clos des Boucheres. The Roulot Charmes 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, delicate but with a slight opulence. It offers a hint of mint and a quite discrete view to the filigree mineral backbone. On the palate also rich and layered fruit – silky and aromatic – with a quite intense core of yellow fruits. Perhaps not the most focused and detailed wine in the lineup – but a mighty and lovely Meursault Charmes it is … 

(Drink From 2025) – Very Fine – (94p) – Tasted 24/03/2016

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Domaine Roulot, Meursault Clos des Boucheres 2014
The Meursault Clos des Boucheres is a quite new wine in the Roulot lineup – the first vintage was 2011 – and has now earned the right to be second in the Meursault hierarchy – after the mighty Les Perrieres. This gorgeous vineyard located just above the northern part of Porusot and just south of Goutte d’Or – produces some of the most delicate and refined Meursaults you can get. This in combination with the delicate nature of the vintage gives a truly magnificent wine. In the nose fine airy white fruit with a refined filigree citrus infused minerality. On the palate refined almost silky fruit driven by the racy acidity and the filigree and very detailed mineralic backbone. A remarkably refined and elegant Meursault 1er in the making – a beautiful expression of the lovely 2014 vintage.

(Drink From 2026) – Very Fine+ – (94 – 95p) – Tasted 24/03/2016

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Domaine Roulot, Meursault Perrieres 2014
The greatness of the Meursault Perrieres is however not a matter of preference and style – this is clearly grand cru level … a fact that was underlined when we tasted the negociant Corton Charlemagne after the Perrieres. Roulot’s Perrieres is made from a perfectly located plot in the northern part of Perrieres Dessous – and it’s only rivaled in quality and intensity by the equally magnificent Perrieres from Coche-Dury. The nose offers gorgeously pure white orchard fruits – notes of pear, white peach and hints of more exotic fruits – it’s powered and focused by the both powerful and refined minerality. On the palate crystal clear, intense and powerful – with a beautifully focused and crystalline fruit. While this is a very refined and delicate wine in the 2014 edition it offers tremendous power and length … outstanding.

(Drink From 2028) – Outstanding –  (95 – 96p) – Tasted 24/03/2016

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Negociant bottlings from Roulot

Jean-Marc Roulot is also making some negociant bottlings now. They are made from bought grapes, so Roulot is not doing the viticulture on these vineyards – important to notice this.

We tasted two negocaint wines – a Corton Charlemagne and a Chevalier Montrachet.

The Corton Charlemange was not showing on the day… and was served directly after Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Perrieres – and that proved to be a big task for the Charlie … it’s a fine Charlie 2014, but perhaps lacking both intensity and definition to match the very best. Lastly … my handwriting was in this case unreadable even for me ..so have not been able to decode the note for the Corton Charlie .. but I rated it Fine+ (92- 93p) – note to self start using the iPad for notes!

The Chevalier-Montrachet showed much better (as did the handwriting) after the Charlie. 

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Roulot, Chevalier Montrachet 2014
The Chevalier-Montrachet is a large scaled wine, it’s rich, vivid and generous – but also embraces the Roulot house style. The nose offer layers of pure orchard fruits driven by a filigree and delicate minerality. On the palate weighty yet airy … lovely mid-palate generosity with plenty of stuffing. It’s long and mineral driven … classic Chevalier … but added the Roulot focus and definition. A beautiful Chevalier in the making … bettter than the Perrieres .. perhaps – it’s most certainly bigger – but the level of refinement and purity is perhaps better in the Perrieres.

(Drink From 2028) – Outstanding –  (96p) – Tasted 24/03/2016

Concluding remarks

The 2014s from Roulot are magnificent in my view and better than the otherwise lovely 2013s I tasted last year. 

The 2013s are more robust and somewhat rustic – whereas the 2014s offer a purity and delicacy rarely seen. The 2014s are beautiful wines, with an airy and very refined fruit, and a perfect display of terroir.

They do perhaps lack the large scaled potent acidity of the 2010 vintage, but the fruit is more pure in the 2014s … as the 2010s show some evidence of botrytis. 

Are the 2014s better than the 2010 from Roulot … perhaps not. But will be exiting to follow both vintages over the next decade or so … 

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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