2010 Meursault Tessons Clos de Mon Plaisir

This wine was tasted over dinner at Le Bernardin and was featured in Wine & Food, June 2013.

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)

Jean-Marc Roulot commented that 2010 was easy in the vineyard but not so simple in the cellar, mostly because of very long malolactic fermentations that did not finish until the following August! The harvest started on September 17 and the wines came in with 12.8 -13.5 natural alcohols, which is at the higher end of the range for the domaine. Because of the lengthy malos, the 2010s were bottled a little later than normal. The 2010s are quite representative of the year in that they have considerable richness and at the same time high acidities. They are remarkably vivid, expressive to site and flat-out gorgeous. Readers will notice a new wine in 2010, the Auxey-Duresses, and can look forward to a new Clos de la Baronne and Clos des Bouchères with the 2011 vintage. Roulot fans will also want to be on the look out for Jean-Marc Roulot's new line of eau de vies, which revive an old Roulot family tradition. The Framboise is one of the most pure expressions of fruit I have ever tasted, while the Abricot, which is made from Gerard and Jean-Louis Chave's apricots in Hermitage, is a bit more honeyed and liqueur-like. Unfortunately, my bottle of the Poire eau de vie broke, but I hope to be able to taste it soon.