Domaine Roulot

The Roulot family has been present in Meursault since at least 1798, and the domaine itself was formally founded in 1830 by Guillaume Roulot. The current generation is the sixth in this lineage. The modern reputation, however, took shape under Guy Roulot (1929 to 1982). From the 1950s onward Guy progressively expanded the estate and, more importantly, introduced what became the defining institutional move of post-war Meursault: bottling individual Village lieux-dits separately rather than blending them into a single Meursault Village wine. This terroir-by-terroir bottling approach helped establish the granular climat logic that other apex Meursault producers later embraced. Guy married Geneviève Coche, granddaughter of Léon Coche (of the broader Coche family from which Coche-Dury later emerged), and the marriage brought additional parcels to the estate. The Guy Roulot 1973 Meursault Charmes was one of two French whites entered at the 1976 Judgment of Paris in Steven Spurrier's Chardonnay flight, where it placed second (126.5 points) behind only the Château Montelena 1973 Chardonnay (132 points) and ahead of Chalone, Spring Mountain, Drouhin's Beaune Clos des Mouches, Freemark Abbey, Ramonet-Prudhon Bâtard-Montrachet, Leflaive Pucelles, Veedercrest, and David Bruce. Guy's sudden death in 1982 left the estate in transition before his son Jean-Marc, then pursuing an acting career in Paris, was ready to take over.

• Family in Meursault since at least 1798; domaine formally founded 1830 by Guillaume Roulot; six generations
• Guy Roulot (1929 to 1982) pioneered the practice of bottling individual Village lieux-dits separately from the 1950s onward, an institutional shift that helped define the contemporary Meursault climat identity
• Guy married Geneviève Coche (granddaughter of Léon Coche of the broader Coche family that later included Coche-Dury), bringing additional parcels to the estate
• Guy Roulot 1973 Meursault Charmes placed second at the 1976 Judgment of Paris white-wine flight (126.5 points), behind only Château Montelena 1973 (132 points), ahead of Chalone, Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches, Freemark Abbey, Ramonet-Prudhon Bâtard-Montrachet, Leflaive Pucelles, and others

Between Guy's 1982 death and Jean-Marc's 1989 arrival, the estate was managed by interim winemakers. The American Ted Lemon, recommended by Jacques Seysses of Domaine Dujac, became the first American ever hired as winemaker and vineyard manager of a Burgundian estate. Lemon had earned his oenology degree at the Université de Dijon in 1981 and worked at Roulot from 1982 to 1984; he later founded Littorai Wines in California in 1992, where he remains. The Burgundians gave Lemon the affectionate nickname 'Le Comte de Citron' during his time at the domaine. Franck Grux (who would go on to Olivier Leflaive Frères) followed Lemon and managed the cellar through the remainder of the 1980s. Jean-Marc Roulot returned to take charge in 1989, balancing his ongoing theater and film acting work with full responsibility for the family estate. He has acted regularly since, including in Cédric Klapisch's 2017 film Ce qui nous lie (released internationally as Back to Burgundy), in which he plays a vigneron, and in his own one-man theatrical pieces about Burgundy. The double career has given Jean-Marc a public profile unusual for a Burgundian vigneron without diluting the focus on the wines themselves.

• American Ted Lemon was the first American hired as winemaker and vineyard manager of a Burgundian estate; recommended by Jacques Seysses of Dujac; oenology degree Dijon 1981; ran Roulot 1982 to 1984; later founded Littorai Wines in California (1992)
• Burgundians nicknamed Lemon 'Le Comte de Citron' during his time at the domaine
• Franck Grux (later of Olivier Leflaive Frères) followed Lemon and managed the cellar through the remainder of the 1980s
• Jean-Marc Roulot returned from a Paris acting career in 1989; he continues to act, including the lead role in Cédric Klapisch's 2017 film Ce qui nous lie (Back to Burgundy)

Domaine Roulot's holdings sit on Meursault's south-facing slope, with roughly 13 hectares directly farmed and additional production from the 2011 René Manuel lease arrangement bringing the working total close to 16 ha. Four Meursault Premier Crus anchor the apex tier. The monopole Clos des Bouchères (1.38 ha) is a walled clos within the larger 4.24 ha Bouchères climat; the Manuel family had owned it for more than a century before a New York investor group led by sommelier Robert Bohr acquired Domaine René Manuel from Cottin Frères in January 2011 and leased the parcels under an 18-year arrangement to Roulot and to Dominique Lafon of Comtes Lafon. Roulot received the entire Clos des Bouchères and half of the Village lieu-dit Clos de la Baronne; Lafon took the other half of Baronne, the Bouchères vines outside the clos, and the Porusots, Charmes, and Genevrières parcels. The estate's longstanding Meursault Premier Crus are Les Perrières (0.26 ha on the upper-slope border with Puligny-Montrachet, the recognized jewel of the estate), Les Charmes (0.28 ha from vines over 70 years old), and Le Porusot (0.42 ha). Outside Meursault, the estate produces Monthélie Premier Cru Champs Fulliots (0.19 ha, a rare white Premier Cru outside the village). Six Village lieux-dits are each bottled separately: Les Tessons (with the 0.85 ha Clos de Mon Plaisir planted 1951 and 1961, now labeled A Mon Plaisir Clos du Haut Tesson), Les Tillets, Les Luchets, Les Vireuils, Les Narvaux, and Meix Chavaux. Tessons Clos de Mon Plaisir is widely regarded as one of the greatest Village climats in Meursault and historically was rated deuxième cru before the modern AOC classification.

• Monopole: Clos des Bouchères (1.38 ha within the larger 4.24 ha Bouchères climat); came to Roulot in January 2011 via the New York investor group acquisition of Domaine René Manuel and the partition with Dominique Lafon (Comtes Lafon)
• Established Premier Crus: Les Perrières (0.26 ha on upper-slope Puligny border, estate jewel), Les Charmes (0.28 ha from 70-plus year vines), Le Porusot (0.42 ha)
• Outside Meursault: Monthélie Premier Cru Champs Fulliots (0.19 ha), a rare white Premier Cru beyond the Meursault village boundary
• Six Village lieux-dits each bottled separately: Les Tessons (Clos de Mon Plaisir, 0.85 ha planted 1951/1961, also labeled A Mon Plaisir Clos du Haut Tesson), Les Tillets, Les Luchets, Les Vireuils, Les Narvaux, Meix Chavaux

Jean-Marc Roulot's cellar discipline centers on restraint and transparency. The estate has farmed organically since 1989 (no herbicides, soil worked by hand to encourage deep root growth), adopted biodynamic practices in 2012, and received official organic certification from the 2013 vintage. Fruit is hand-harvested and gently pneumatically pressed; fermentation proceeds with indigenous yeasts. The white wines age on lees in barrel for approximately 12 months, then rack to stainless steel for a further 6 months before bottling. The Bourgogne Aligoté is the cellar exception: from two parcels of 50- and 70-year-old vines in Meursault, it ferments and ages in stainless steel only, with no wood at any stage. New oak use ranges from 10 to 30 percent: Bourgogne and lighter Village wines around 10 percent, the main Village lieux-dits capped at roughly 20 percent, and the Premier Crus 25 to 30 percent. Jean-Marc is a firm opponent of excessive lees stirring (bâtonnage), with a maximum of six stirrings reserved only for high-acidity vintages and never after malolactic fermentation; the restraint preserves linearity and shows the climat character through the oak rather than over it. The 12-month-on-lees in barrel plus 6-month rest in stainless steel format produces the chiseled and mineral style that has come to define apex Meursault for the contemporary era. This stylistic move (from the older, richer, more buttery Meursault to a brighter and more linear profile) has aligned Meursault more closely with the linear-mineral identity of Puligny-Montrachet's Domaine Leflaive and has influenced essentially every other apex Meursault producer that followed.

• Organic since 1989 (no herbicides, soil worked by hand); biodynamic practices from 2012; official organic certification from the 2013 vintage
• Hand harvest; gentle pneumatic pressing; indigenous yeast fermentation; whites age 12 months on lees in barrel, then 6 months in stainless steel before bottling
• New oak 10 to 30 percent: Bourgogne around 10 percent, Village wines capped at ~20 percent, Premier Crus 25 to 30 percent; Bourgogne Aligoté in stainless steel only, no wood
• Minimal bâtonnage: maximum six stirrings, only in high-acidity vintages, never after malolactic fermentation; the restraint preserves linearity and lets climat character read through the oak

Jean-Marc Roulot's work has positioned Domaine Roulot as the contemporary Meursault reference alongside Domaine Coche-Dury (the price apex) and Domaine des Comtes Lafon (the Premier Cru breadth reference). The wider Meursault apex includes Arnaud Ente (the next-generation reference), Pierre Morey, François Mikulski, and Henri Boillot, plus the Lalou Bize-Leroy Domaine d'Auvenay; within that group Roulot's chiseled and linear style provides the structural counterpart to Coche-Dury's denser, more concentrated, no-stirring approach and to the broad Premier Cru palette of Comtes Lafon. The 1976 Judgment of Paris second-place finish remains the historical anchor of the estate's international reputation, providing the baseline that the post-1989 Jean-Marc tenure has built upon. In 2014 Jean-Marc launched a separate micro-négoce project under the Jean-Marc Roulot label, sourcing fruit from prestigious vineyards outside the family's Domaine Roulot holdings, including Corton-Charlemagne, Chevalier-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Caillerets, and Meursault Premier Cru Genevrières (first vintage 2016). The négoce remains small and the wines are sold separately from the Domaine Roulot range. The broader white-Burgundy reference cohort that defines the apex extends from Roulot's Meursault into Domaine Leflaive (Puligny-Montrachet, biodynamic peer), Domaine Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, Domaine Étienne Sauzet, Domaine Ramonet, and Domaine Bonneau du Martray (the historic Corton-Charlemagne reference).

• Meursault apex cohort: Roulot, Coche-Dury (price apex), Comtes Lafon (Premier Cru breadth), Arnaud Ente (next-generation reference), Pierre Morey, François Mikulski, Henri Boillot, plus Lalou Bize-Leroy's Domaine d'Auvenay
• Roulot's chiseled-mineral style is the structural counterpart to the denser, no-stirring Coche-Dury identity and to the broad Premier Cru breadth of Comtes Lafon
• Jean-Marc Roulot micro-négoce label launched 2014, sourcing Corton-Charlemagne, Chevalier-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Caillerets, and Meursault Premier Cru Genevrières (first vintage 2016) outside the family's Domaine Roulot holdings
• Wider white-Burgundy apex cohort extends to Leflaive (Puligny, biodynamic peer), Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, Étienne Sauzet, Ramonet, and Bonneau du Martray (historic Corton-Charlemagne reference)