A Bourgogne Blanc face-off between Roulot and J-M Pillot. I was blown away by the Pillot when I had it by itself last year, so wanted to see if the Roulot would be conclusively better since the secondary market price is roughly three times that of the Pillot. Even though it was no slouch, the Roulot asserted itself as the clear winner.
It also descended into a glass face-off as we had the Grassl Mineralite, GGG, Zalto Burg and Jancis glasses. The conclusions confirmed our previous suspicions:
- Mineralite (which is my favourite glass for champagnes) showcased the whites well by focusing acidity to give a sharper, but not necessarily more precise nose
- GGG is always solid and dependable, not the best glass for any of the wines but nowhere near the worst
- Zalto Burg amplifies the strengths and weaknesses of the wines, Roulot performed excellently here and it is a testament to the J-M Pillot that it did not do badly here even though it started off alcoholic and ripe, just needed some time to settle down
- Didn’t distinguish itself, preferred the GGG as a universal but looking forward to try it with champagnes which it is an absolute star for apparently. Curiously, it was by far the worst performer for the red (excluding the Grassl which is a white wine glass).
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2014 Domaine Roulot Bourgogne Blanc - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc
Under DIAM. Well, Roulot is Roulot so textbook example of citrus fruits and chalkiness. Apparently the 16 BBs can be problematic so I couldn’t pass the 14 up when I saw a case of this available - 14 white Burgs can be terribly hard to find now. Very linear and focused wine, only quibble was the slightly hollow midpalate and lacked the precision of great wines. But this is nitpicking for an outstanding BB. -
2014 Domaine Jean-Marc Pillot Bourgogne Blanc - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc
Similar to the previous time that I had the wine, but slightly fatter and rounder. Started off rather disjointed with overt alcohol but came into better balance. Still a lovely BB, but outshined by the Roulot this time without the same crispness and clean finish that the Roulot had. Still an outstanding QPR though. -
2016 Maxime Cheurlin Noëllat Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits
The glass mattered for this one - the wine reeked of an artificial candied smell in the Jancis, but in the GGG and Zalto Burgundy it was much more together. An almost purple hue in colour, similar to other new school producers like Berthaut-Gerbet. Taste-wise it is a bit round and ripe with black fruit and menthol. I suppose this is made in an early drinking style but it is not quite together at the moment, yet I am not sure about its ageability.
