2012 Ruchottes Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 2012 Ruchottes-Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes Grand Cru suggests that Eric Rousseau hit a real purple patch in this period. Impressive intensity on the nose; this is slightly ferrous compared to the 2015, with touches of potpourri merging with the vivacious red fruit. The palate is beautifully defined, with just a touch of spicebox. Gentle grip, perhaps less sophisticated than the ensuing two vintages on the finish, but there is real persistency here. Another great success and one that I would not hesitate in opening now.
Critic scores
The Wine Advocate
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 2012 Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru Clos des Ruchottes is showing beautifully, even if it's still a handful of years away from prime-time drinking, wafting from the glass with aromas of wild berries, plums, peonies, orange rind and a deft framing of oak vanillin from its used cooperage. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and elegant, with beautifully refined tannins and this cuvée's signature purity of fruit, it concludes with a long and penetrating finish.
(20% new oak): Good bright red. Blackberry, blueberry and a hint of leather on the somewhat sauvage nose. Brooding, tight and dark on the palate, with classic Gevrey wildness to the dense, savory flavors of dark berries, black cherry and violet. Finishes very long and backward, with a medicinal menthol note and a note of game. For all its structure, this sappy, densely packed wine has plenty of sweetness.
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.