Domaine Roulot

Taste the wines of Domaine Roulot blind and you might struggle to place them in Meursault, such is their restraint and Chablis-like precision. This is the style that has propelled Roulot to stardom, setting a new benchmark for an appellation mostly known for fat and creamy wines. Their wines showcase an extraordinary balance between power and finesse, challenging conventional expectations of Meursault’s character while remaining true to their terroir.

The story of the domaine started when Guy Roulot decided to use the grapes from his family’s vineyards to make wine instead of for distillation, a decision that would transform both the estate and the region’s winemaking landscape. His marriage to Geneviève Coche added a number of prized plots to the domaine’s holdings, significantly expanding their portfolio of exceptional terroirs. The quality of their vineyards, the couple’s hard work, and Guy’s novel approach, vinifying and bottling each plot separately, firmly established Roulot as master of the lieu-dit. His wines quickly turned heads for their flinty minerality, vibrant acidity, and aromatic restraint, a profile no one thought the vineyards of Meursault could deliver. This revolutionary style would become the blueprint for a new generation of Meursault producers.

Guy’s sudden and unexpected death in 1982 left the Domaine in a limbo.

His son, Jean-Marc, was in Paris pursuing an acting career and had little interest in wine, immersed in the world of theater and cinema. However, his father’s death made him rethink his priorities, forcing him to confront the weight of his family’s legacy. After a transition period of seven years, during which three contract winemakers kept production going, maintaining the estate’s high standards, Jean-Marc returned to Meursault in 1989, sure of his ability to take the helm of the Domaine. “When I left at 22 years old to follow acting, I had no real opinion on wine, but when I came back to Meursault eleven years later, I knew exactly what I wanted to make,” explains Jean-Marc. He consolidated the domain’s reputation, firmly establishing its iconic status, and fine-tuned his father’s winemaking style, introducing subtle refinements while remaining faithful to the estate’s founding principles.

Roulot’s pioneering single-vineyard Meursault bottlings have earned their place among the world’s finest white wines, masterfully balancing their signature precision and focus with the luxuriant fruit character that defines the appellation. Jean-Marc’s unwavering dedication to terroir-driven winemaking minimizes interventionist practices, allowing the pristine fruit qualities to take center stage. His meticulous vinification process involves barrel fermentation and aging for a carefully calculated 12-month period, with a thoughtfully restrained use of new oak ranging from 20 to 30%, ensuring the wood influence remains subtle and complementary. The wines then undergo a 6-month refinement period in stainless steel vessels before bottling. While bâtonnage (lees stirring) remains a widespread practice throughout the Côte D’Or, Jean-Marc deliberately abstains from this technique, firmly believing it introduces an unnecessary weightiness that would compromise the ethereal elegance he strives to achieve in his wines.

The wines crafted at Domaine Roulot stand apart as extraordinary exemplars of their respective terroirs while deliberately diverging from the traditionally opulent style that once defined the Meursault appellation. These wines showcase an unprecedented level of structural refinement, vibrant acidic tension, and aromatic complexity that speaks in hushed, elegant tones rather than bold proclamations. They mirror Jean-Marc’s own character – authentic and unassuming yet possessing remarkable complexity. Each bottle tells a story of meticulous attention to detail, profound respect for the land, and an unwavering commitment to expressing the unique voice of each vineyard plot. The result is a collection of wines that not only honors the legacy of the domaine but continues to push the boundaries of what Meursault can achieve, setting new standards for precision and elegance in white Burgundy.