Tasted in Gevrey-Chambertin with Cyrielle Rousseau, 02 December 2019.
Domaine Armand Rousseau
1 Rue de l’Aumônerie
21220 Gevrey-Chambertin
Tel: +33 3 80 34 30 55
www.domaine-rousseau.com
More reports for Domaine Armand Rousseau
Cyrielle, on 2018 and a little on 2019:
“In 2019 we avoided the frost, so there’s not much to say after that. We started harvesting on the 12th. The volumes I’m happy with, we didn’t have a lot, but that’s the vintage.
In 2018 we started much earlier – the 1st September. We have plenty of fruit in the wines but there’s also a richness in the mouth. We had a lot of grapes in 2018 but the result has been fine.”
The wines…
A great set of wines at the domaine in 2018; only the Chambertin – of all wines(!) – was showing a little tight – but when we factor in history, this is always a great wine chez Rousseau…
These wines were all racked after the malo. Bottling will probably begin in March 2020.
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Château
Hmm, pretty, bright red fruit – that’s very inviting. Supple, saline, with depth of flavour – I love this energy. Long, a little herbed, faintly with bitters – thats a great start – very mineral finishing. Excellent wine.
Seven different lieu-dits assembled. There’s always a little 1er cru in this too – 10-15%
A nice vibration of aroma, fresh, less width, less floral but inviting. Wide, less ample texture than the ‘Clos’ but with more layers of flavour. Super finishing, bravo!
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Lavaux St.Jacques
More towards Varoilles
An airy nose. This has a wide and mineral personality, faintly oaked, but with an intensity that also shows a little vibrancy. A little direct, long and mouth-watering. Yum!
Fresh, tending to red fruit and flowers – I usually find the flowers with this cuvée. Wider, more mineral, touched by some textural drag from the tannin, but there’s no perceptible grain. Long too – this is great!
A little more colour. A little more aromatic volume too – practically textured – a super invitation. Hmm, this is gorgeous, clean, mobile, beautifully melting with flavour, add clarity to this beautiful flavour too. Bravo – another great Charmes in 2018.
Watch out its a bear, says Cyrielle!
A fuller, more textural nose, faintly packaged with violets. Hmm, like the Cazetiers but double! Intense, great direction, growing wider. Ooh, thats very fine. Almost but not quite a grain of very fine tannin. Borderline great!
2018 Clos de la Roche
‘I call this Jean-Paul after the robots of JP Gautier,’ laughs Cyrielle.
Narrower, finer, beautiful aromatic purity of fruit. Driving, mouth-watering, more dynamism, in the flavour(s) here – ooh, excellent and involving wine.
I confide in Cyrielle that this is usually my favourite wine at the domaine ‘It’s my favourite too – it’s where my roots are!’
Ooh, thats perfumed, but a different flower. Energy, minerality, growing in width, there’s a dynamic here – this is great – as always my favourite!
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Clos St.Jacques
Lots of colour, another vibrant nose – ripe fruit of depth, but never heavy. This has a line and freshness that the nose doesn’t suggest – there’s energy, there’s also layers of flavour. A little richer than Ruchottes today – excellent.
This starts a little tight but aeration liberates more and more. A little more supple and concentrated. Super freshness, a wine that slowly unwinds over the palate, subtly finishing, really a suggestion of the compact at this stage of elevage, but it’s hauntingly long all the same.
Ooh, a more vibrant, beautifully floral nose, even a suggestion of herb. Growing in width, a little more structural definition, melting more flavour over the palate – this is showing fabulously today. Mouth-watering, with more visible power today than the Chambertin.