2011 Meursault Les Perrières 1er Cru (Magnum)

I tasted at Domaine Roulot this spring with long-time assistant winemaker Eric Bodin in Jean-Marc Roulot's absence.The 2012s were mostly in the middle of their malolactic fermentations, so I will wait to taste them in their finished form.We focused on the excellent 2011s here, a vintage that Bodin compared to the 2007s "but with more generosity and also more terroir precision."He also indicated a preference for the 2011s over the 2010s, which are higher in alcohol.Roulot was a very early harvester in 2011, beginning on August 25.The wines are plush, ripe and creamy but fresh too, with a level of concentration that belies the normal yields here.Acidity levels in the finished wines, according to Bodin, are between 4.5 and 5 grams per liter, which is at the top end of the figures reported to me in late spring by the producers I visited.Roulot stirred the lees regularly until the end of the sugar fermentations in November of '11, then once a month until the malos finished in late spring of 2012.

Jean-Marc Roulot's 2011s stand out for their transparency to site and pure expressiveness. Each of the terroirs Roulot works with is very clearly marked in this superb set of wines. In speaking of his 2011s, Roulot draws a parallel with 2007, another year with a very early harvest. The harvest started on August 24, with grapes that were healthy and in good shape. The 2011s were bottled between the end of January and the beginning of April. For his part, Roulot thinks the 2011s will age better than the 2010s. It is interesting to note that across the board the 2011s are about 1% lower in alcohol than the 2010s. With 2011, Roulot has a new wine from Clos de Bouchères (that replaces the Bouchères), while the production of Porusots has increased, both the result of parcels that were added with the purchase of Domaine Manuel.

Jean-Marc Roulot compares his young 2011 to the estate's 2007s.He was among the earliest pickers of the top producers I visit, beginning on August 24 (vs. August 25 in 2003).The crus are now in the 12.2% to 12.9% range without chaptalization.Following the malos, which were mostly finished by the end of February, acidity levels are around 4.5 or 4.6 grams per liter, which Roulot described as lower than those of 2010.But the pHs are actually also a bit lower in 2011, he added:about 3.1, vs. 3.15 for the previous year.Roulot had been doing a lot of batonnage, the last stirring about 12 days before my visit."The wines needed enriching to support their acidity," he explained."They weren't monsters at the beginning but they will age well." (Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, www.kermitlynch.com; Margate Wine & Spirit Company, www.margatewine.com)