Domaine Armand ROUSSEAU (Gevrey-Chambertin) - 2022 Tasted from Barrel
Domaine Armand Rousseau is one of the domaines of Burgundy that demonstrates with each bottle the greatness of the region. The estate is often cited as one of the pioneers in domaine bottling going back to the 1930s, yet I have old books that reference the wine being domaine bottled before that, in particular the 1915 Chambertin is held out as a very great wine at the time.
Alas, with the current popularity of Burgundy, prices on the secondary market are often ridiculous, but those lucky enough to buy from the estate or to know certain restaurants that keep markups reasonable do not pay those prices.
The delightful Cyrielle Rousseau, great-granddaughter of Armand Rousseau, is now the third generation of Rousseau to lead me on my visits to the cellars.
The late June 2022 storm that provided water for the subsequent dry summer hit Gevrey very hard, and there was flooding in the lower cellar at Rousseau, as well as quite a bit of soil (200 tons!) that slid down the Clos Saint-Jacques slope and had to be brought back up. There was also June hail in Lavaux Saint-Jacques, Clos Saint-Jacques, and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze that had the effect of limiting the crop in those vineyards but did not effect the quality of the fruit harvested. Otherwise, the dry summer worked well here as elsewhere. Harvesting began on 31 August and lasted eight to ten days (two hails limited the amount of picking). Most of the wines are at 13.5º alcohol, but two are at 14º.
The domaine has a new cuverie which, not coincidentally, closely resembles that of Domaine Dujac, as both were designed by the same architect.
2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Château
The time when the entry-level wines here were rather standard has long passed. This wine is pure with tangy red currant fruit, lightness of body, and spiciness. (91-93)
2022 Gevrey-Chambertin
This standard village Gevrey is perhaps slightly darker than the Clos du Château in its aromas. The mouth is pure with dark fruits and a slight gaminess reminiscent of Clos Saint-Jacques. The wine is fresh and racy. (92-94)
2022 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux Saint-Jacques
The Lavaux-Saint-Jacques has pure edgy fruit and is light, focused, and intense. This wine is complete and very racy. (92-95)
2022 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers
The Cazetiers is darker in its fruit and rounder with some soy/earth aspects, all as one would expect from this vineyard. The wine is pure, light and racy with very good acidity. (92-95)
2022 Charmes-Chambertin
The Charmes-Chambertin is pure and light with dark fruit, length, and minerality. It comes across as very civilized. (93-96)
2022 Mazy-Chambertin
Rousseau’s Mazy-Chambertin has dark and some red fruits, lightness and length. This is less wild and more elegant than some Mazy-Chambertins, but will give an outstanding wine. (93-96)
2022 Clos de la Roche
The Clos de la Roche is light and energetic in the nose. The mouth shows ripe dark berry fruit and is light, pure, and mineral. I find the wine less nervy than usual, perhaps owing to its 14º alcohol, but the wine is balanced and outstanding, even potentially great. (94-97)
2022 Ruchottes-Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes
The Clos des Ruchottes is penetrating and pure with intense stoniness and energy. This is classic Ruchottes terroir expression and it should be a great wine. (95-98)
2022 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques
Notwithstanding the misfortunes of the hail and the mud sliding down the slope, this is one of the very great Clos Saint-Jacques that I’ve experienced in my years of tasting at Rousseau. The nose is dark and smoky. In the mouth, the wine is spheric and light on the palate with length, minerality, purity and airiness. Perhaps it is slightly less demonstrative of the terroir than some other vintages, but it is so complete, who’s to care? (97-99)
2022 Chambertin
The Chambertin shows more substance than the Clos Saint-Jacques with dark fruit and salinity. The wine is pure, complete, and overall fantastic. (98-99)
2022 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze
In addition to the Clos de la Roche, the Chambertin-Clos de Bèze is 14º alcohol. It has black licorice in the nose. The mouth is dense with black fruits, more power than the Chambertin, length, and layering. The alcohol in no way unbalances the wine or is otherwise disturbing. (97-99)