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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(1x75cl) 1992$1,620.00 -
Vinous (87-88)
Good cherry-red. More complex, riper aromas of black cherry, smoke, meat, mocha and herbs. Sweeter and silkier on the palate; this is a step up in material. The acids here are more successfully integrated. Finishes with good firm tannins and some complexity.$818.00 -
(1x75cl) 2001Vinous (87)
Medium, amber-edged red. Cherry, mocha and brown spices on the nose; a bit purer and livelier than the Mazy. Then sweet and full, with slightly green-edged plum and spice flavors. Rounder than the Mazy but could use more length.$897.00 -
Vinous (89-92)
Good full red. Complex aromas of black raspberry, espresso, mocha and underbrush. Dense, thick and concentrated; a step up in size from the foregoing wines. And yet this big boy shows a lovely restrained sweetness and comes across as round and not especially tannic. Long and lush on the aftertaste.$1,485.00 -
Vinous (89)
Medium red. Perfumed, complex nose melds raspberry, fresh rose, musky brown spices, smoke and underbrush. More intense and more primary than the Mazy, with spicy and floral notes combining with the juicy acidity to give the wine very good verve. Finishes longer and riper, with more spicy extract to stand up to the slightly peppery tannins. Shows the sappy character of the year.$1,175.00 -
(1x75cl) 2008$879.00 -
(3x75cl) 2008$3,430.00 -
(1x75cl) 2009Wine Advocate (94)
The 2009 Clos de la Roche is so beautiful today I could hardly blame anyone who chooses to enjoy this superb wine in its youth. Silky tannins frame an expressive core of fruit in this perfumed, polished Burgundy. The 2009 is quite a bit more floral and higher-toned than the 2010, perhaps because of the greater use of whole clusters during fermentation. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2029.$1,815.00 -
(1x75cl) 2010Wine Advocate (94-96+)
The 2010 Clos de la Roche is fascinating to taste after the Mazis. The Clos de la Roche is all about power, structure and length, qualities it has in spades. There is huge depth and serious extract to the fruit, with equally big tannins to provide support. Layers of intense fruit are intermingled with persistent saline notes on the vibrant, finely chiseled finish. It will take years for the tannins to start melting away, but when they do the 2010 will be a dazzling wine. Actually, it already is. Anticipated maturity: 2030-2050.$1,940.00 -
(3x75cl) 2010Wine Advocate (94-96+)
The 2010 Clos de la Roche is fascinating to taste after the Mazis. The Clos de la Roche is all about power, structure and length, qualities it has in spades. There is huge depth and serious extract to the fruit, with equally big tannins to provide support. Layers of intense fruit are intermingled with persistent saline notes on the vibrant, finely chiseled finish. It will take years for the tannins to start melting away, but when they do the 2010 will be a dazzling wine. Actually, it already is. Anticipated maturity: 2030-2050.$6,625.00 -
(1x75cl) 2012Tim Atkin MW (97)
Aged in 10% new oak for the first time (Eric Rousseau doesn't usually think it can take it) this has benefited from the temporary removal of one part of the cuvée, which has been replanted. It's a dense, concentrated wine, with a perfume that is almost Syrah like, with spice and violets and a hint of white pepper. Powerful and rich, but balanced.$958.00 -
Wine Advocate (93-95)
The 2013 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru, which will contain some new oak although I tasted from a used barrel, has a tightly knit bouquet that at the moment is less expressive than the Mazis-Chambertin. The palate is crisp and pure, quite tensile, with a spiciness that becomes more prominent toward the fleshy, harmonious finish. Curiously, even from a used barrel the texture feels as if there is some new oak, but that is just the concentration of fruit coming through. Frédéric enthused about this wine and I suspect that it may surpass my expectations once in bottle.$10,105.00 -
(6x75cl) 2013Wine Advocate (93-95)
The 2013 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru, which will contain some new oak although I tasted from a used barrel, has a tightly knit bouquet that at the moment is less expressive than the Mazis-Chambertin. The palate is crisp and pure, quite tensile, with a spiciness that becomes more prominent toward the fleshy, harmonious finish. Curiously, even from a used barrel the texture feels as if there is some new oak, but that is just the concentration of fruit coming through. Frédéric enthused about this wine and I suspect that it may surpass my expectations once in bottle.$5,555.00 -
(1x75cl) 2015Decanter (95)
Rich, powerful red fruit and cherry nose, showing aromatic force and not overly dense. Rich and full-bodied, quite powerful without being overbearing, with firm tannins beneath the broad fruit. Structured, spicy, exuberant, and very long.$1,190.00 -
(1x75cl) 2016Vinous - Neal Martin (96)
The 2016 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is one of the standout vintages in recent years. This has an intense, almost penetrating bouquet with red and blue fruit, incense and a sprig of wild mint. There's a lot going on aromatically… and it's just getting started. The palate has a ripe entry, plenty of ripeness and succulence counterbalanced by a silver thread of acidity. Very harmonious, tremendous length, this feels like a "complete package," poised and Rousseau in full effect.$1,010.00 -
(2x75cl) 2016Vinous - Neal Martin (96)
The 2016 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is one of the standout vintages in recent years. This has an intense, almost penetrating bouquet with red and blue fruit, incense and a sprig of wild mint. There's a lot going on aromatically… and it's just getting started. The palate has a ripe entry, plenty of ripeness and succulence counterbalanced by a silver thread of acidity. Very harmonious, tremendous length, this feels like a "complete package," poised and Rousseau in full effect.$2,070.00 -
(1x75cl) 2018Jancis Robinson (19)
Seems to show a little more darkness of oak spice and be less bright fruited than the Mazis. Dark imposing power and massive concentration on the palate though the fruit is sweeter than I expected in the mouth. Still a firm, deep, seriously handsome devil. Sweet at heart but strong and well built. Depth, length and with firm tannins that are massive rather than grainy.$782.00 -
Vinous - Neal Martin (93)
The 2019 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru has a lovely bouquet that has become earthier with bottle age, touches of tea leaf infusing the red berry fruit. The palate has abundant freshness on the entry, a fine lattice of tannins, elegant and understated compared to Rousseau's other cuvées this vintage. Perhaps it has just lost a bit of stuffing on the finish compared to its barrel showing. This is ready to be drunk now and should drink well over the next 15 to 20 years.$767.00 -
(6x75cl) 2019Vinous - Neal Martin (93)
The 2019 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru has a lovely bouquet that has become earthier with bottle age, touches of tea leaf infusing the red berry fruit. The palate has abundant freshness on the entry, a fine lattice of tannins, elegant and understated compared to Rousseau's other cuvées this vintage. Perhaps it has just lost a bit of stuffing on the finish compared to its barrel showing. This is ready to be drunk now and should drink well over the next 15 to 20 years.$7,890.00 -
Vinous (93-95)
The 2020 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru has a quintessential nose for this vineyard, quite flamboyant yet still with that Rousseau sense of control and elegance, a melange of red and black fruit, touches of wet stone and undergrowth. The palate is medium-bodied with a supple entry, fine weight and density, veering more towards the red fruit profile with a dash of black pepper on the finish. This was once the weak card in Rousseau's pack. That is the case no longer.$883.00 -
(6x75cl) 2020Vinous (93-95)
The 2020 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru has a quintessential nose for this vineyard, quite flamboyant yet still with that Rousseau sense of control and elegance, a melange of red and black fruit, touches of wet stone and undergrowth. The palate is medium-bodied with a supple entry, fine weight and density, veering more towards the red fruit profile with a dash of black pepper on the finish. This was once the weak card in Rousseau's pack. That is the case no longer.$4,761.00 -
Vinous (93-95)
The 2021 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is fragrant, delineated and coiled up at first, although it only takes a few swirls of the glass before it awakens. Crushed stone infuses the red fruit, and hints of oyster shells emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied and very cohesive, with finely-chiselled tannins and just a little confit red fruit that enlivens the finish, which demonstrates more persistence than the Mazy-Chambertin. Delightful.$856.00 -
$824.00 -
(6x75cl) 2022$5,210.00 -
$800.00
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Vinous (94)
The 1989 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St.-Jacques 1er Cru has an exquisite nose of morello cherries and cranberry and hints of bergamot and wild mint, perhaps surprisingly missing the precision of the 1990, but improving in the glass. The palate is sweet and fleshy, with layers of red cherry and strawberry, perfect acidity and nuanced allspice notes. It coalesces marvelously with every swirl of the glass, though it never catches up with the 1990.$1,470.00 -
Vinous (95)
Eric and Charles Rousseau did no wrong in 1993. This 1993 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru has blossomed in recent years. Showing some bricking on the rim, it has a captivating bouquet of raspberry, pomegranate, wet limestome and bay leaf, somehow effortless in style. The palate is taut and fresh with impressive focus, not the most powerful that I have encountered but as I commented before, there is a nonchalance about this wine that leaves you hooked. Tasted alongisde the Chambertin at a private dinner in London.$4,295.00 -
Vinous (95)
The 1996 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru, at 25 years old, offers dark cherries and bay leaf, traits I have noticed before, but here I found a touch of Earl Grey and, with aeration, a heightened marine/oyster shell scent. The palate is beautifully balanced and still exudes wonderful, life-affirming transparency. A little rugged on the finish, like most of Rousseau’s 1996s, but fresh as a daisy and so sapid. What more could I want from this Rousseau, except a market price that does not oblige secretly selling my daughter’s entire collection of ultra-rare Pokémon cards on eBay? Tasted at a private dinner in Mayfair.$2,665.00 -
Jancis Robinson (17.5)
Strawberry, dark cherry, lengthy finish and relatively firm tannin. Balanced and elegant but incredibly reticent on the nose and that leaves it too evasive for my preferences.$1,985.00 -
(12x75cl) 2001Jancis Robinson (18.5)
Notably 'cool' and fresh – very different from the Chambertin (I'm not quite sure why the Chambertin was served before this wine). Racy and well balanced. Certainly a lot better than the average grand cru.$27,135.00
