Tasted in Gevrey-Chambertin with Cyrielle Rousseau, 30 November 2023.
Domaine Armand Rousseau
1 Rue de l’Aumônerie
21220 Gevrey-Chambertin
Tel: +33 3 80 34 30 55
www.domaine-rousseau.com
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Cyrielle, on 2023:
“I think that it would be hard to be happier with a vintage. ”
Cyrielle, on 2022:
“It was a good vintage – and we enjoyed the harvest too. The wines will be racking next year and the bottlings will take place from Springtime onwards. We, actually, didn’t have a big volume due to a couple of storms – we had less than in 2020 – but of course more than in 2021! Because of the storm in June, we had to move 200 tonnes of earth back up the hill in the Clos St.Jacques. It’s marne here so it doesn’t take in the water which had gathered pace through the other parcels.”
The wines…
Like many vintages you start tasting and enjoying the wines – then suddenly the last 4 simply blow your socks off – what a great finish !!
2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Château
A pretty red nose – not so forward but still inviting. Silky, good concentration, actually quite intense, a flavour that’s broad and fine over the palate.
2022 Gevrey-Chambertin
Seven different lieu-dits assembled. There’s always a little 1er cru in this too – 10-15%
Also a small nose, but fine, clean and inviting. More fluid, and mouth-filling. A wine that has more ease and charm – fine silky texture too. Super finishing – the flavour really sticks. Thats a super wine.
2022 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Lavaux St.Jacques
More towards Varoilles
More vertical, that’s a nose with lovely depth. Much broader with fine flavour intensity – it’s got a very attractive and focused red fruit. Fading only very slowly…
2022 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cazetiers
Extra breadth, and there’s a hint of graphite too. Extra intensity yet more supple at the same time. There is extra in all directions, not least the structure – there’s nothing hard or out of place though. Contemplative and absolutely delicious.
2022 Charmes-Chambertin
More open and slightly herbed top notes, slowly fill the nose with creamy fruit. Incisive, more than you expect from Charmes – but intense again – thats got a lovely linear character. Lots of character!
2022 Mazy-Chambertin
A broader and more exciting nose. In the mouth, it’s like a Cazetiers in volume but with more visible structure and a juicier finishing flavour – here slightly saline – this is a real beauty!!
2022 Clos de la Roche
‘I call this Jean-Paul after the robots of JP Gautier,’ laughs Cyrielle.
Sleeker, with more direct, darker fruit too. Likewise in the mouth, cooler but broadening and framed with the tiniest grain of tannin. A creamy accent again to this dark fruit but not obviously barrel-related – extra wide, textured in this more structured but impressively long finish.
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!’
So elegant – and again, incisive, pure – such purity and clarity of fruit – one of my all-time favourite wines and this won’t change my mind. A small finishing explosion of beautiful red fruit – yes!
A panoramic nose – much more open, with faintly cushioned with beautiful fruit – yes, next level! A little more serious – mouth filling, modestly framed with extra structure – great wine.
Extra width in the higher tones, more restrained in the depth but it’s quite a floral width. Wow – concentrated but at the same time fluid – I’m not sure I’ve used that word to describe their Chambertin before but here we are. Far too drinkable Chambertin – vin dangereux – bravo!
A more stern width, there’s structure to this beautiful dark fruit. Fluid again but here there’s the counterbalance of that structure, more form and a finish that you can chew – thats another great wine – one that suggests a long life but I wouldn’t be scared of a half bottle tonight – bravo!