Domaine Armand Rousseau, Clos St Jacques 1er Cru, Gevrey-Chambertin, Burgundy, France, 2016

Overview of the Wine
Domaine Armand Rousseau is one of Burgundy's oldest and most revered family-run domains. They hold many grand cru plots in Gevrey-Chambertin as well as part of the much sought-after premier cru vineyard Clos Saint-Jacques.

Founded at the start of the 20th Century by Gevrey native Armand Rousseau, the domaine initially owned small plots of vines throughout Gevrey-Chambertin. Over the next 100 years under both Armand Rousseau and his son Charles, who took over after the death of his father in 1959, the Domaine acquired various grand cru vineyards in Charmes-, Mazis- and Mazoyères-Chambertin, culminating in a plot in Le Chambertin itself in 1994.

Grape / Blend
Pinot Noir

Origin
Burgundy, France

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
The soil of this vineyard is extremely fertile and very stony. The top of the Clos is ostrea acuminata marl. The shallow clay topsoil allows the water to run down the slope following the strata of marl and this gives fullness and typicity to the wines. Halfway down the slope the soil is deeper (about 60cm), and lies on crinodial Bajocian limestone. The soil is rich in clay and limestone rock. The Prémeaux limestone at lower end of the vineyard makes the soil rich in limestone rock and shale. The vineyard is divided into five vertical strips belonging to five different domains. Domaine Rousseau owns one third of the total area of the Clos. The vineyard faces south-east and benefits from maximum exposure to the sun, while its proximity to the Combe Lavaux keeps it cool.

97 Points - Wine Spectator
Gorgeous aromas of rose, strawberry, cherry and sandalwood are enhanced by licorice, earth and spice notes on the palate in this complex, harmonious red. Silky and racy, this channels a minerally graphite element on the long aftertaste. Best from 2022 through 2045.

95 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint Jacques, where 20% at the bottom of the vineyard was lost to frost, nevertheless has a wonderful bouquet that blossoms in the glass, quite floral with wilted rose petals, minerals and vivid red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied and a little bit more sinewy than previous years, with good density and vigor but perhaps not with quite the same precision as the Ruchottes on the finish. Perhaps this is one cru from Rousseau that is not quite up there with the 2015, but then again, this wine can produce miracle in bottle..

95 Points - Vinous
Aging in 70% new oak; the bottom of the vineyard was frosted): Bright, dark red. Wonderfully aromatic but restrained aromas of black raspberry, coffee and smoky minerality. Juicy, penetrating and sharply delineated on the palate, showing a floral element that was not obvious on the nose. Rather muscular for this cuvée at this early stage, just this side of austere. Cyrielle Rousseau noted that this wine was made without fruit from the lower part of the vineyard, which normally contributes lightness and a "dancing quality." The top of the vineyard, she added, provides the power and the middle of the slope the body.

94 Points - Decanter
The Clos St-Jacques is lovely, wafting from the glass with notes of griotte cherry, dried cep, rose petal and rosehip, with a classy framing of cedary, smoky new oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied and fine-grained, with an elegant chassis of tannin, a sappy core of fruit. It has a lovely sense of completeness and should develop beautifully in the cellar. Drinkin Window 2026 - 2050.

Product size: 750ml