2014 Domaine Roulot, Bourgogne Blanc, France.
The new 2014 Roulot basic white Burgundy is a brilliant and stylish wine with real depth of character and steely mineral intensity, it is easy to love and admire. Jean-Marc Roulot makes some of the greatest wines in the region and his Meursault(s) is legendary, but not many know that this basic Bourgogne Blanc is all from Meursault and from organic 30 to 40 year old Chardonnay vines set on the classic clay and limestone soil, it certainly makes this cuvee a sweet deal, especially in a stunning vintage like 2014! Made in the same way as all the top Cru wines the Roulot Bourgogne Blanc is fermented in wood vats and is raised in barrel for about a year, with up to 20% new oak, then rested in stainless tank for seven months before bottling. Roulot’s style is vital and brisk with good strong acidity and vibrant detail, but his wine do see lots of lees contact and some batonage to add richness and mouth feel and this 2014 Bourgogne shows the fine balance and grace these wines have with lovely crisp mineral, white flowers, hints of brioche, but with saline chalkiness and cool freshness. The wine is vivid and bullet proof, I enjoyed in over the course of three days and it never lost it’s energy or tension, while still being wonderfully generous in substance, this is very impressive Chardonnay that shows layers of classic apple, lemon, white peach, hazelnut and lime blossom as well as light wood notes, savory flinty wet stones and a touch of melon and golden fig. While there is potential for aging here, this is an almost quilt free wine to open young and enjoy the pure Meursault goodness that flows into the glass, okay, it’s not cheap, but conceding what you get these days for $50 in Burgundy, and the wines pedigree, this is a steal!
($50 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive
