Grapelive Wine of the Day

By Kerry Winslow

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2009 Domaine Roulot Monthelie Red Burgundy, France.
I must admit I had never known or seen a Roulot red before this wine, and while Domaine Roulot is legendary for Meursault and is most often talked when being compared to Coche-Dury or Lafon, so I had to acquire a bottle to see if they could do with red what they do with white. Well, I do like Roulot whites, but WOW, this Monthelie is amazing, I could have easily miskaten this beauty for a Premier Cru Vosne-Romanee or Chambolle, in fact it almost has the stuff to be better than most! This is a lovely wine with perfume, grace, balance, charm and complexity, everything you want and desire in a fine Burgundy. My heart would even rate this Monthelie a few points higher, as a magic Burgundy has a way beguiling your emotions, and this Roulot certainly does. The nose starts out with earthly and smoky, mineral laced red fruits before violets and blueberries emerge creating a lovely complex perfume that leads to a sublime palate. Everything unfolds smoothly and with great pleasure flowing cherry, raspberry, plum and blueberry fruit layers that feel like pure silk in the mouth. The earthy notes that hint at game and truffle play perfectly off the toasty sweet oak, spicy accents and lifting acidity all of which frame the fruit and minerallity in remarkable fashion. Sadly, only a tiny amount of this wine exists and it will be extremely difficult to find, even so, I am grateful to Kermit Lynch for importing this stunner, I only hope I can grab a few more bottles!
($56 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive

(A few bottle available at San Francisco Wine Trading Company 1-800-681-WINE)

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