2009 Domaine Roulot, Meursault Premier Cru, Perrieres 1x750ml

Vinous 94

Pale yellow. Yellow peach, pineapple, hazelnut, flinty minerality and a whiff of oak char on the nose. At once thick and vibrant on entry, then rich and seamless in the middle, with powerful crushed stone minerality giving shape and an impression of weightlessness to the rich lemony fruit. Wonderfully juicy and intense. The slowly building, tactile, classically dry finish saturates the mouth with flavor. Grand cru quality here–a 2009 with outstanding energy. (I was unable to keep my appointment with Roulot this year, as he was called away by a family medical issue.) [Stephen Tanzer, 01/09/2011]

Robert Parker 96

The 2009 Meursault Perrieres is a mode of coolness. It possesses tons of energy in Reserve. With time in the glass hints of slate, crushed rocks, lime and white flowers start to take shape, suggesting the direction this profound wine is headed in over the coming years. The Perrieres is simply breathtaking for its clarity and precision. Like a finely cut diamond, there is always something new to discover. The finish is beyond eternal. This is not an immediate wine, but rather a bottle that will handsomely repay patience. I hope to have a chance to revisit this in a few years’ time, as it is nothing short of utterly profound. Anticipated maturity: 2015+. Jean-Marc Roulot is one of the most thoughtful, introspective growers in Burgundy, so it is hardly a surprise his 2009s are so sublime. The domaine has grown to 15 hectares as of the 2011 harvest. Roulot was among a group of investors including Dominique Lafon who purchased Domaine Rene Manuel from Laboure-Roi. Readers can look forward to two new wines from Roulot a Meursault Clos de la Baronne, Meursault Clos de Bouchere, plus a little more production of the Poruzots. Roulot was among the first to harvest, and started picking on September 1st. Accodring to Roulot, the optimal window for picking has become much narrower with today’s increasingly warmer growing seasons. Roulot told me he prefers 2009 to 2008 as the fruit was healthier, with no botrytis or other issues, which resulted in wines of greater focus. The 2009s spent 12 months in oak followed by 6 months in steel with very light and infrequent batonnage. The Bourgogne saw less than 10% new barrels, while the village wines saw 15-18% new barrels and the premier crus 25-30% new barrels. Unfortunately I was not able to taste the 2010s as they were in full malolactic fermentation. A Daniel Johnnes Selection, imported by Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300 and imported by: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524 [Antonio Galloni, 09/30/2011]

Anticipated maturity: 2015-0