2010 Domaine Armand Rousseau Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru

The 2010 Mazis-Chambertin is explosive and totally beautiful in every way. Sweet red berries, roses, mint and hard candy come together in a striking display of class. Rousseau says the Mazis gets better with age, a frightening prospect considering just how good the wine is today. An endless, seamless finish is the only fitting conclusion. The Mazis is flat-out great. Anticipated maturity: 2025-2035. My visit with Eric Rousseau was one of the highlights of my fall trip. The 2010s are fabulous from top to bottom. Rousseau started picking on September 22. The fruit saw about four days of cold soak followed by a cuvaison that lasted anywhere from 15 to 21 days, depending on the wine. I was equally thrilled with the 2009s I tasted from bottle. I will have more on those wines in our April issue. Importer: Frederic Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700

Bright, deep red. Lovely clarity and lift to the aromas of cherry, rose petal and game, complicated by a whiff of honey. Juicy and nicely delineated, with superb energy to the flavors of medicinal red cherry, raspberry and pomegranate. Still tightly wound but the tannins are suave and the lingering red cherry flavor mounts slowly on the very long aftertaste. Rousseau believes that this fruit has been riper since 2009, but notes that nothing has changed in his vineyard work; he still pulls leaves every year, even in 2009.