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Wine Description
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.
Vintage 2021
BURGUNDY 2021 Vintage report
The 2021 vintage was a challenge for winegrowers right up until the very last day. From the frost in April, made worse by a very early start to the winegrowing season, right through to the September harvest, it was characterized by some brutal shifts in the weather. Winegrowers had to be extremely reactive and attentive. The only moment of respite came with flowering, which was ideal for fruit formation, and véraison, which was accompanied by sunshine from mid-August. In the end, hard work was rewarded with success, low volumes aside. Indeed, while conveying his hope that the 2022 vintage will offer an easier ride, François Labet, co-president of the BIVB confirmed his opinion that, “Small is beautiful!”
Aside from the low yields due to frost, and hail in June in certain parts of the Mâconnais, the grapes were sorted meticulously, both in the vines and in the winery. The capricious weather in July and early August encouraged the development of pockets of disease, but these were fortunately contained thanks to the efforts of the winemakers and the return of dry weather later in August.
The general opinion is that the 2021 is an interesting vintage to work with because it requires great technical skill and vinification must be very precise. Although fermentation was rapid, one had to pay a great deal of attention to the extraction of tannins and color for the reds, and to the aromatic balance of the whites.
The impression from the first tastings is that the musts have good aromatic potential and the sugar-acidity ratio suggests a style appreciated by fans of Bourgogne wines.