Domaine Roulot Bourgogne Blanc 2023 750ml

Product Info

89-91pts Vinous Media
The 2023 Bourgogne Blanc has a really attractive bouquet that punches above its weight (like the Aligoté). It's quite complex and finely delineated with hints of pithy pear mixed with crushed stone. The palate is very well balanced, quite phenolic and stylistically errs toward the Rhône in a good way. The tongue tingles long after the wine has bid adieu. It is excellent. - By Neal Martin on November 2024

Excuse me, I am just distilling my first batch of cherries,” Jean-Marc Roulot tells me upon arriving at his winery in Meursault. Of course, the polymath is a dab hand at making wine and spirits, apart from his acting career. This was a comprehensive tasting of his entire range of 2023s. Readers should note that he has ceased his négociant operation, Roulot lamenting the fact that some of his buying prices for fruit tripled in the last 10 years. To compensate, vineyard acquisitions that have been negotiated in recent years have resulted in debuts for Beaune Les Teurons, Meursault Les Clous, Casse-Têtes and most significantly, the “last piece of the jigsaw of Premier Crus,” a Meursault Genevrières. The satisfaction of finally adding this renowned cuvée was apparent on Jean-Marc’s face, though 2023 is technically purchased fruit that will be classed as “Domaine” from the 2024 vintage. For what it’s worth, the 2023 will sport the same label design. I asked if they were his final acquisitions. He replied that though he might consider any proposition, with 17 hectares now comprising his holdings, it is important for him to be able to manage them with the same level of care he has always done.

“We started the harvest very early on August 24,” he tells me down in his bottle cellar, “but it really started on August 29 and finished on September 8. We had a canicule [hot and dry spell] from September 5; however, most of the whites were picked before this date, except a little Burgundy Blanc. The yields are close to the level 2022 with around 12.6% average alcohol. The reds will be bottled in winter having just been racked. As I get older, I find myself drinking more and more red wines and I am more interested in them. It was the right time to add a new red cuvée, the Beaune Les Teurons.”

I ask whether he feels that the 2023 is different to 2022, and Jean-Marc replies that some cuvées have less acidity. Standards have always been high at this address, although I aver that Roulot’s wines never really show their true personalities until they are in bottle and only then with sufficient bottle age. But I loved the Meursault Les Vireuils and Meix Chavaux, both the regular cuvée and a special bottling from vines planted in 1929. His Premier Crus are consistent across the board, and I found it fascinating how the debutante, that Genevrières, just naturally fits into the rest of the range.

Terroir
Though labeled simply Bourgogne Blanc, Domaine Roulot’s 2023 bottling transcends its appellation through origin and intent. The fruit is drawn primarily from parcels located in and around Meursault, including sites just beyond village classification that share the same limestone-rich foundation as the domaine’s more celebrated crus. These vineyards sit on gently sloping terrain with excellent drainage, where thin topsoil overlays fractured limestone and marl.

The Côte de Beaune’s continental climate, moderated by subtle elevation changes and airflow from the combe, allows Chardonnay to ripen gradually while retaining natural acidity. The 2023 vintage delivered fruit of clarity and definition—ripe yet vibrant—conditions particularly well suited to Roulot’s style, which emphasizes tension, transparency, and mineral precision over overt opulence.

Even at the regional level, the terroir speaks clearly: chalky soils impart lift and linearity, while the cool evenings preserve aromatic purity. In the hands of Roulot, Bourgogne becomes a study in site expression rather than hierarchy.

Winemaking
Jean-Marc Roulot’s approach to Chardonnay is meticulous and uncompromising. Vineyard work is precise and attentive, with careful canopy management and yield control to ensure balanced ripening. Grapes are harvested by hand and gently pressed, preserving delicacy and aromatic nuance.

Fermentation occurs primarily in French oak barrels, with minimal new oak employed to avoid masking the wine’s inherent structure. Indigenous yeasts guide the process, and élevage is conducted with quiet patience, allowing the wine to clarify naturally over time. Lees contact is measured rather than indulgent, building subtle texture while maintaining the wine’s hallmark drive.

The result is not a Bourgogne Blanc built for immediate impact, but one shaped with the same philosophical rigor applied to the domaine’s Meursault bottlings—focused, restrained, and quietly complex.

Tasting Notes
The 2023 Bourgogne Blanc pours a pale straw with glints of green. The nose is understated yet penetrating, offering aromas of lemon zest, crisp pear, and green apple, layered with white flowers and crushed stone. With air, subtle notes of almond skin, fresh cream, and a faint saline quality begin to emerge.

On the palate, the wine is sleek and linear, defined by vibrant acidity and a fine mineral spine. Citrus and orchard fruit flavors glide across the mid-palate with precision, supported by a restrained creaminess from barrel fermentation. There is remarkable focus here—no excess weight, no overt oak—just clarity and tension carried through a long, stony finish.

The impression is one of purity and control, where energy and balance take precedence over richness. It is a Bourgogne Blanc that feels architectural in its construction, each element placed deliberately.

Food Pairings
This wine shines alongside dishes that echo its finesse and mineral backbone. It pairs beautifully with fresh oysters, poached white fish, and scallops, particularly when prepared with light citrus or beurre blanc sauces. Roast chicken with herbs, vegetable terrines, or simple pasta with olive oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano also complement its structure.

Soft-ripened cheeses such as Brie or young goat cheese enhance its creamy undertones, while firmer Alpine styles highlight its saline edge. Serve lightly chilled, around 50–54°F, allowing the wine to open gradually in the glass.

Cellaring & Longevity
While immediately compelling for its energy and clarity, the 2023 Domaine Roulot Bourgogne Blanc possesses the structure to evolve gracefully. In its youth, it emphasizes citrus precision and mineral drive; with time, expect the development of toasted hazelnut, honeyed citrus, and greater textural harmony.

Properly cellared, this wine should drink beautifully over 8–12 years, remarkable for its classification. It stands not merely as an introduction to the domaine, but as a distilled expression of Roulot’s philosophy—measured, transparent, and profoundly rooted in place.