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 | 97 (VN) | HK$29,435.00 | |||||
Vinous (97)A Burgundy of tension and bracing energy, the 1996 Rousseau Chambertin is simply magnificent on this night. Time in the glass brings out the wine's stunning inner sweetness and perfume in what is an utterly glorious expression of Pinot Noir and Chambertin. I imagine the 1996 will still be compelling in 30 years' time. Today is transcendental and deeply beautiful. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 97 (VN) | HK$23,930.00 | |||||
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 | 95 (VN) | HK$20,760.00 | |||||
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. |
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