2016 Rousseau Assort. (Chambertin, Chambertin Clos de Beze)
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques is showing brilliantly from bottle, soaring from the glass with aromas of raspberries, Griotte cherries, peonies, rich soil tones, smoked meats and dark chocolate, framed by a deft application of cedary new oak. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a rich and multidimensional core that's framed by refined tannins and a lively spine of acidity, concluding with a long and pungently intense finish.
Critic scores
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru is showing brilliantly from bottle, unwinding with aeration to reveal a deep and brooding bouquet of plums, cassis and cherries mingled with notions of grilled meats, ceps, peonies and iodine. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, textural and enveloping, with a muscular chassis of ripe tannin that's cloaked in a core of vibrant and concentrated fruit, concluding with a long and thrillingly carnal finish. It will be fascinating to compare this with the qualitatively similar but stylistically very different 2015 vintage when both wines have 20 years on the clock.
The 2016 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru is a little subdued on the nose with delineated red cherry, crushed strawberry and crushed stone aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannin, fresh and mineral-driven, almost Ruchottes-like in style with just a small attenuation towards the finish. Very fine, if not quite delivering the substance you might have expected. Tasted blind at the 2016 Burgfest tasting.
Not the brightest colour, lighter at the rim. There is a fair amount of oak evident, with fruit waiting to emerge from behind. It builds extremely well in the mouth, infusing the second half of the palate, with a very complete dark fruit rounding the wine out. Even some black cherry in with the dark raspberry. Very lovely.
About the producer
Based in Gevrey-Chambertin, Domaine Armand Rousseau is one of Burgundy’s most famous estates. Revered for making unearthly expressions of Pinot Noir, the estate’s wines are some of the most collectable in the world.