Domaine Armand Rousseau is one of the most famous and best domaines in Burgundy. Based in Gevrey-Chambertin, the estate is formed of just over 15 hectares, over half of which is Grand Cru.
This is one of Burgundy’s greatest domaines – in terms of history, vineyard holdings and quality of wine. The original Armand Rousseau was at the forefront of the first wave of domaine bottling in the 1930s. He was succeeded by his son Charles in 1959, shortly after they had bought a significant slice of the Clos St Jacques vineyard. Today Eric, grandson of Armand, is in charge of the vines and cellar, with the help of his daughter Cyrielle.
The domaine produces pale, finely structured wines of great elegance and stamina. The simple principle of old (but not ancient) vines and sensible yields dictates the Rousseau style. Sometimes the wines can appear light in their youth, but they nearly always take on weight as they age.
96-98 Points Allen Meadows
Once again subtle but not invisible oak frames a distinctly spicy and earthy nose of plum, dark cherry and violet aromas. There is even more size, weight and intensity to the velvety, powerful and opulent big-bodied flavors that possess an abundance of palate soaking dry extract that pushes the otherwise tightly coiled tannins to the background on the massively long finish that really fans out as it sits on the palate. This is very firmly structured but actually a bit less austere than it usually is and will probably be approachable a bit sooner than usual too. In short, this brilliant effort is one of the greatest wines of the 2013 vintage.
96-98 Points Anonio Galloni
he 2013 Chambertin is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage. Aristocratic in its bearing, the Chambertin is simply magnificent today. The overall impression is of a totally spherical wine that has no beginning and no end. Layers of flavor continue to open up in the glass in a sublime, textured wine that captures the truest essence of what Burgundy is all about. The pulsating, vibrant finish is classic 2013.