2011 Domaine Armand Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru

Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2011 horizontal tasting in Beaune. The Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St Jacques 2011 has an earthy bouquet, the stems quite prominent, though it is still well defined and full of freshness and vitality. It opens beautifully in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannins, more linear than its peers, the acidity pitched higher, but that just lends tension and race on the finish. The aftertaste is long with plenty of spicy black fruit and blackcurrant pastilles. This is a very commendable, more masculine, structured Clos St. Jacques that has improved since I last tasted it a few months ago, putting a gap between itself and Rousseau's fellow premier cru.

Good full red. Spicy red berries, cherry, licorice and a hint of horseradish on the nose. Juicy, brisk and taut; not hugely fleshy but energetic and penetrating. Conveys an impression of density without weight in the manner of the best 2011s. Tightly wound and very backward, finishing with terrific spicy persistence. Eric Rousseau bottled his 2011s in April of 2013; his bottles now have the domain name embossed on the bottom of the glass.