Armand Rousseau
Usually mentioned in the same breadth as Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Domaine Leroy, Armand Rousseau has established itself as a legendary producer owning mostly Grand Cru vineyards in Gevrey Chambertin.
Born in 1884 to a family deeply entrenched in the wine trade, Armand Rousseau inherited several plots and the current domaine building, one of the oldest in Gevrey-Chambertin, as part of his wedding in 1909. After acquiring more plots in Charmes-Chambertin, Clos de la Roche and Chambertin in the late 1910s and 1920s, the domaine became one of the first in Burgundy to bottle his own wine. Rousseau’s wines were also amongst the first to hit the shores of the United States after the Prohibition, and his focus on exporting his wine is shared by his son Charles, who took over the reins in 1959 after Armand was unfortunately killed in a car accident. Today, the domaine is run by Charles’s son, Eric, who is also the winemaker.
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Burgundy | 1 | 100 (TA) | $8,515.00 | |||||
Tim Atkin MW (100)What does perfection taste like? I've sampled this wine twice - once in Gevrey and once in London - and I have no hesitation in saying that this is it. There's 100% new oak here, but the wine has digested it, like an lion swallowing an antelope. Sikly, fine and effortlessly structured, it's the kind of wine that makes Burgundy lovers dewy eyed. Still a ittle closed at this stage, but this has everything in place for a long life: concentration, fruit, vanilla oak and structure. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 98+ (VN) | $3,365.00 | |||||
Vinous (98+)Bright medium red. Very pure but very reticent nose hints at blueberry, raspberry, licorice, game and woodsmoke. Delivers a compelling combination of fine-grained texture, deep sweetness and restrained power; still youthfully compressed but already boasts thrilling mouthfilling perfume of tart red fruits, spices and saline minerality. This spectacular Chambertin broadens out on the back half without giving any impression of weight. A wine of uncommon depth and class, with no sign of overripeness. With its salty, crushed-rock minerality, this wine saturates every square millimeter of the palate and stimulates the salivary glands on the sensationally long finish. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 98+ (VN) | $22,180.00 | |||||
Vinous (98+)Bright medium red. Very pure but very reticent nose hints at blueberry, raspberry, licorice, game and woodsmoke. Delivers a compelling combination of fine-grained texture, deep sweetness and restrained power; still youthfully compressed but already boasts thrilling mouthfilling perfume of tart red fruits, spices and saline minerality. This spectacular Chambertin broadens out on the back half without giving any impression of weight. A wine of uncommon depth and class, with no sign of overripeness. With its salty, crushed-rock minerality, this wine saturates every square millimeter of the palate and stimulates the salivary glands on the sensationally long finish. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 98 (WA) | $19,175.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (98)Tasted from bottle, the 2016 Chambertin Grand Cru claims the place of king of the Rousseau cellar this year, soaring from the glass with a complex bouquet of ripe red berries, cherries and plums, complemented by nuances of blood orange, peonies, raw cocoa, grilled meats and spices. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with terrific concentration, lively acids and a muscular chassis of ripe tannins that's largely concealed by a prodigious core of fruit. Long, sapid and penetrating, like the Clos de Bèze, this will make for fascinating comparisons with its 2015 counterpart in two decades' time. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 98 (VN) | $7,820.00 | |||||
Vinous (98)The 2017 Chambertin Grand Cru is just a glorious success. Vivid red fruit, Morello cherries, wild strawberry and pressed violets on the nose, the aromatics here feel so animated and exquisitely defined. The palate is perfectly balanced with a killer line of acidity: crystalline red fruit, filigree tannins and more freshness than it knows what to do with. There is a sense of "channeled intensity" in this Chambertin and whilst there is no question that it is a 20- to 30-years wine, I felt no guilt in polishing this off in its youth. Tasted at Maison de Colombier in Beaune. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 98 (VN) | $3,065.00 | |||||
Vinous (98)The 2017 Chambertin Grand Cru is just a glorious success. Vivid red fruit, Morello cherries, wild strawberry and pressed violets on the nose, the aromatics here feel so animated and exquisitely defined. The palate is perfectly balanced with a killer line of acidity: crystalline red fruit, filigree tannins and more freshness than it knows what to do with. There is a sense of "channeled intensity" in this Chambertin and whilst there is no question that it is a 20- to 30-years wine, I felt no guilt in polishing this off in its youth. Tasted at Maison de Colombier in Beaune. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 98 (VN) | $16,920.00 | |||||
Vinous (98)The 2017 Chambertin Grand Cru is just a glorious success. Vivid red fruit, Morello cherries, wild strawberry and pressed violets on the nose, the aromatics here feel so animated and exquisitely defined. The palate is perfectly balanced with a killer line of acidity: crystalline red fruit, filigree tannins and more freshness than it knows what to do with. There is a sense of "channeled intensity" in this Chambertin and whilst there is no question that it is a 20- to 30-years wine, I felt no guilt in polishing this off in its youth. Tasted at Maison de Colombier in Beaune. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 98 (VN) | $9,330.00 | |||||
Vinous (98)The 2018 Chambertin Grand Cru has a very intense, brilliantly-defined bouquet with laser-like precision, incredibly focused and perfectly integrated oak. Less generous than Bichot's Chambertin at the moment though - this is biding its time. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, insistent grip and plenty of freshness. Maybe just a little more confit in style than others. Still, a fabulous Chambertin that gains clarity and precision in the glass. Effortless. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 98 (VN) | $2,775.00 | |||||
Vinous (98)The 2018 Chambertin Grand Cru has a very intense, brilliantly-defined bouquet with laser-like precision, incredibly focused and perfectly integrated oak. Less generous than Bichot's Chambertin at the moment though - this is biding its time. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, insistent grip and plenty of freshness. Maybe just a little more confit in style than others. Still, a fabulous Chambertin that gains clarity and precision in the glass. Effortless. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 98 (VN) | $17,620.00 | |||||
Vinous (98)The 2018 Chambertin Grand Cru has a very intense, brilliantly-defined bouquet with laser-like precision, incredibly focused and perfectly integrated oak. Less generous than Bichot's Chambertin at the moment though - this is biding its time. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, insistent grip and plenty of freshness. Maybe just a little more confit in style than others. Still, a fabulous Chambertin that gains clarity and precision in the glass. Effortless. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 99 (DC) | $3,305.00 | |||||
Decanter (99)The reference standard in Chambertin. This is every bit the equal of the Clos de Bèze, if slightly less approachable young. Blended from four parcels including a cooler section near the southern end and another near the top of the slope, this gives a wine of incredible concentration if a bit reserved initially. Here, ripe berry fruit, a strong mineral/saline edge and a gamey note all emerge with time, and the texture is firm and tightly wound. This should age gracefully for the better part of a century. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 99 (DC) | $18,740.00 | |||||
Decanter (99)The reference standard in Chambertin. This is every bit the equal of the Clos de Bèze, if slightly less approachable young. Blended from four parcels including a cooler section near the southern end and another near the top of the slope, this gives a wine of incredible concentration if a bit reserved initially. Here, ripe berry fruit, a strong mineral/saline edge and a gamey note all emerge with time, and the texture is firm and tightly wound. This should age gracefully for the better part of a century. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 99 (BH) | $67,635.00 | |||||
Burghound (99)A distinctly cool and exuberantly fresh nose features reticent wonderfully spiced notes of various dark berries along with forest floor nuances that include humus and earth. The intensity of the imposingly broad-shouldered and muscular flavors is borderline painful with impressive power on the hugely long finish that is supported by incredibly dense but quite fine-grained tannins. This is magnificent and a wine of class and grace that will justly vie for wine of the vintage honors when it's time for such assessments. It's extremely rare that I put 30-year initial drinking windows for modern red Burgundies, but my prediction is that this stunningly brilliant wine will age glacially. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 99 (BH) | $2,630.00 | |||||
Burghound (99)A distinctly cool and exuberantly fresh nose features reticent wonderfully spiced notes of various dark berries along with forest floor nuances that include humus and earth. The intensity of the imposingly broad-shouldered and muscular flavors is borderline painful with impressive power on the hugely long finish that is supported by incredibly dense but quite fine-grained tannins. This is magnificent and a wine of class and grace that will justly vie for wine of the vintage honors when it's time for such assessments. It's extremely rare that I put 30-year initial drinking windows for modern red Burgundies, but my prediction is that this stunningly brilliant wine will age glacially. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 99 (BH) | $6,355.00 | |||||
Burghound (99)A distinctly cool and exuberantly fresh nose features reticent wonderfully spiced notes of various dark berries along with forest floor nuances that include humus and earth. The intensity of the imposingly broad-shouldered and muscular flavors is borderline painful with impressive power on the hugely long finish that is supported by incredibly dense but quite fine-grained tannins. This is magnificent and a wine of class and grace that will justly vie for wine of the vintage honors when it's time for such assessments. It's extremely rare that I put 30-year initial drinking windows for modern red Burgundies, but my prediction is that this stunningly brilliant wine will age glacially. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 99 (BH) | $21,975.00 | |||||
Burghound (99)A distinctly cool and exuberantly fresh nose features reticent wonderfully spiced notes of various dark berries along with forest floor nuances that include humus and earth. The intensity of the imposingly broad-shouldered and muscular flavors is borderline painful with impressive power on the hugely long finish that is supported by incredibly dense but quite fine-grained tannins. This is magnificent and a wine of class and grace that will justly vie for wine of the vintage honors when it's time for such assessments. It's extremely rare that I put 30-year initial drinking windows for modern red Burgundies, but my prediction is that this stunningly brilliant wine will age glacially. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 18 (JR) | $2,380.00 | |||||
Jancis Robinson (18)Cask sample. Mid-dark ruby. Sweet, red fruits (red cherry, laced with redcurrants and red-fruit coulis) this is glamorous, oozing refined, elegant luxury. There is fine, high-strung acidity which belies its firm, almost four-square structure. Very long, very fine, very nascent |
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Burgundy | 1 | 97 (VN) | $3,665.00 | |||||
Vinous (97)Now at 23-years of age, the 1996 Chambertin Grand Cru shows a little bricking on the rim, appropriate with its age. The nose is as fragrant as I remember: wilted iris petals gently waft from the glass, cool and reserved. Indeed, I found this bottle initially aloof and standoffish, like many Côte de Nuits this vintage, before developing more fruit intensity, mainly black rather than red laced with loam and Earl Grey. The palate is just beautifully balanced. It is a stout and swarthy Chambertin so much so that you risk overlooking what for a 1996 is its filigree tannin structure. The fruit profile becomes redder towards the finish with a kiss of sour cherry and orange rind that all feel so precise and sophisticated. This multi-faceted and cerebral Chambertin is reaching its lofty plateau. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 90-92 (VN) | $3,050.00 | |||||
Vinous (90-92)Good medium red. Cooler, more precise, perfumed aromas of cherry and flowers. Lovely clarity and intensity of flavor. Very long finish shows excellent grip. Demonstrates a lot of personality today. Rousseau's Clos de Beze is always showy at this stage, but the '97 seems a bit less oaky than usual. |
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