Armand Rousseau, Chambertin Grand Cru 2012

robert_parker98

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2012 Chambertin Grand Cru has an ethereal bouquet with pure raspberry, wild strawberry, orange blossom, hints of iodine and a subtle marine influence. The oak is more integrated at this stage than the Clos de Beze: a multi-dimensional bouquet whose secrets will only be revealed with bottle age. The palate is medium-bodied with supremely fine tannins. There is a brooding intensity here – a sense of completeness and harmony that is entrancing. It is not a powerful Chambertin nor even a multidimensional one - at the moment. But it is an effortless Chambertin that will age 20-30 years with little problem, bewitching everywhere it goes. The trajectory of Armand Rousseau has been phenomenal in recent years. In particular, after the beatified 2005 vintages, the most revered Gevrey-Chambertin producer suddenly found itself amongst the Holy Grail, one whose wines are sought and fought over from London to New York to Hong Kong and everywhere in between. As I have written before, Rousseau is one of my benchmark producers as no doubt it is for many. Rousseau has been the source of some of the greatest wines I have ever consumed: just peruse my write-up of a Ruchottes-Chambertin vertical in December’s issue as evidence. At the same time, part of my appreciation for Rousseau is that they do not try to cover up their wines that can occasionally wear their frailties on their sleeves. This imbues Rousseau’s wines with a sense of honesty and clarity, a reflection of a vineyard buffeted and enhanced by the vagaries of a capricious growing season from one year to the next. If you are lucky enough to participate in a vertical of Rousseau’s wines, then you experience the peaks and troughs, but never a bottle that tries to be something it was not born to be. I had already heard whispers of how good Rousseau’s 2012s were before my arrival and sure enough, tasting through their enviable portfolio, there are a clutch of quite brilliant wines destined to be fought over when allocations are released. And at the same time, I would argue that it is not as consistent as say 2005 or 2010, but would agree with winemaker Frederic Robert that they constitute a step up from the 2011s that I tasted six months earlier. “It was a quite difficult flowering because of the rain and cold,” Frederic told me. “Even July was cold and rainy. Then we had 6 or 7 weeks of sun from August. We started to pick on 20 September. We lost about 20% of the harvest mainly because of flowering and sorting, but we had to do less sorting than 2013. We de-stemmed around 90% of the crop and did a little chaptalization, but only by a very small amount. The old vines produced small grapes. We will bottle in July and so we will rack them one more time in March.” When I asked whether the 2012s reminded him of any other vintage, Frederic replied that perhaps the 2010 would make a good comparison, albeit without the same tannic structure. I would agree with this observation. Rousseau’s 2012 do err more towards the masculine side, unlike the more voluptuous 2009s, yet unlike 2011 there is more freshness, tension and vigor. Moreover, I cannot recall tasting Rousseau’s wines from barrel, whereby the individuality of each vineyard is articulated with such clarity. This year, each village, premier or grand cru is true to their respective characteristics, the hand of the winemaker much smaller than that of the vineyard. Importer: Frederic Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700 and through merchants in UK including Howard Ripley.

robert_parker96

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Tasted blind at the annual "Burgfest" tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Chambertin Grand Cru has a touch of mint on the nose, complementing the mixture of red and black fruit, a pastille-like purity developing with time. This is very charming and the oak is neatly folded into the fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, the acidity perfectly judged and lending the tension and poise one expects from a Chambertin. It does lose a little intensity in the glass but it's from such a high point it is neither here nor there. This is a wonderful Chambertin.

vinous97

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

Rousseau's 2012 Chambertin towers out of the glass. Sophisticated, finessed yet also powerful to the core, the 2012 Chambertin captures a compelling range of expressions. Crushed flowers, sweet red berries, mint, leather and cedar meld into a huge core of fruit in a dramatic, powerful Chambertin that will require considerable bottle age to show the full breadth of its potential.

vinous96

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

Healthy medium red. Reticent aromas of redcurrant, black cherry, raspberry and smoky minerality. Hugely concentrated and sweet, but in a distinctly cooler and less expressive style than the Clos de Bèze. Sappy, saline wine with an incredible whiplash of a finish that leaves the palate saturated. Showing more red fruits than black in the early going, this is still an infant.

vinous98

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

Medium red, lighter than the Clos de Beze. Wild but distinctly cool aromas of blueberry, crushed black cherry and menthol, complicated by a light medicinal quality. Wonderfully suave and minerally on entry, then sappy and taut in the middle, showing great chewy intensity and energy, an utterly noble texture, and no easy sweetness. The incredibly vibrant, broad, building finish leaves the palate vibrating. I could barely tell that I had spit the wine. Easily the best of these 2012s today.

vinous93

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

Rousseau's 2012 Chambertin towers out of the glass. Sophisticated, finessed yet also powerful to the core, the 2012 Chambertin captures a compelling range of expressions. Crushed flowers, sweet red berries, mint, leather and cedar meld into a huge core of fruit in a dramatic, powerful Chambertin that will require considerable bottle age to show the full breadth of its potential.