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  • Country ranking ?

    680
  • Producer ranking ?

    42
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    2020-2035

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The Story

Chambertin – Domaine Armand Rousseau

Chambertin gained a reputation from the patronage of Napoleon I, who is rumoured not to have drunk anything else and watered down his Chambertin with plenty of water. He favoured it at five to six years old and never drank more than half a bottle with a meal. When the ex-Emperor was exiled on St. Helena, he was forced to drink claret, since that was easier to ship to the isolated island.

The Rousseau Domaine was started at the beginning of the 20th century by Armand Rousseau who, at his majority, inherited several plots of vineyards in Gevrey Chambertin. The Domaine premises with the living house, the storing places, the cellars and the winery, are situated in the oldest part of the village, near the 13th century church.

From 1959, after Armand Rousseau's death, Charles Rousseau was at the head of a Domaine of 6 ha which he continued developing rapidly thanks to his great knowledge in oenology, and his experience, by acquiring new vineyards, especially in "Grands Crus" areas. He decided to turn principally towards export, and, after the USA where his father had already starting to sell his wines right after prohibition at the end of the 30's, he developed the exchanges first with Great-Britain, Germany, Switzerland, soon afterwards to all European countries, then to Canada, Australia, New-Zealand, Brazil, etc. and lastly Asia in the 1970’s.

His son Eric joined him at the beginning of the 1980's to take care more especially of the vineyards and the vinification. In 1993, Corinne, Charles's elder daughter, after many years of professional experience in export abroad and in France, came back to the Domaine and in her turn took in charge the commercial relationship with customers.

 

Domaine Armand Rousseau is the largest landowner of the Chambertin vineyard with a total of 5.3 acres. The 32 acres of Chambertin Grand Cru represent some of the finest and most storied Pinot Noir acreage on the planet and with all producers included typically produces less than 60,000 bottles. Chambertin is the beating heart of the red Grand Crus of the Côte d’Or sitting high on the hillside and bordered by Latricières-Chambertin to the south and Clos-de-Bèze to the north.

Vinification: Grapes are meticulously sorted as they arrive in the winery. Following a cool maceration the must travels by gravity into barrel where it will stay for the entire vinification process lasting typically 18-24 months. Each Armand Rousseau wine is blended unfiltered.

Burgundy writer Clive Coates refers to this Grand Cru as perhaps the finest red wine in the world. Always a tour de force, this wine has uncanny balance. It is very structured, dense, and powerful, it has firm, ripe tannins, yet it is not heavy. It has uncommonly long length on the palate.

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Vintage 1995

A small crop of high quality for long ageing. As in 1985, the acidity in the white wines is hidden behind the ripe fruit. 

An early frost and cool June weather severely reduced the size of the 1995 crop. July and August were fine, dry and warm, but cooler conditions arrived in September, bringing showers and overcast skies. Fortunately the rains were more spread out and did not do as much damage as in 1994. The harvest took place in cooler but dry weather. Careful selection was essential. The 1995 wines showed great potential in barrel, the silky tannins and fine acidity giving the wines a soft mouthfeel. 

Very attractive white wines, with creamy structure balanced by fine-tuned acidity.

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Tasting note

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Written Notes

The 1995 Rousseau Chambertin magnum that followed was also quite good, make that really good.  It admirably held a candle to the blindingly good 1993 Beze, and it was outstanding stuff.  Fresh, creamy and with great red fruits, this mag showed the brightest sides of the 1995 vintage.  Rousseau does that for every vintage now, doesn’t it?  There was still a lot of stuffing to go with this beauty of a bird (96M).

  • 96p

Rich, mushrooms on the nose – pretty tight tannins on the palate. Slightly feral but rewarding. Very broad and rich. Dry coffee beans. Quite a bit of pleasure even if a bit dry.

  • 91p

Full, vigorous colour. Fat, rich, voluptuous nose. Rich and multi-dimensional. Full body. Still very youthful. Excellent.

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Information

Origin

Beaune, Burgundy

Other wines from this producer

Chambertin Clos de Bèze

Charmes-Chambertin

Clos de la Roche

Gevrey-Chambertin

Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St Jacques

Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques

Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er cru

Mazy Chambertin

Ruchottes-Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes

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