2013 Domaine Armand Rousseau Chambertin-Clos de Beze
-
S$5,98797
PRE-ORDER
Vintage : 2013
Region : Cote de Nuits, Burgundy
Country : France
About Winery
Armand Rousseau was born in 1884 to a family heavily involved in the wine industry as merchants, coopers and vignerons. He inherited several vineyard plots and the current domaine building in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin as part of his wedding in 1909.
After rapid expansion in vineyard holdings, with purchases in Charmes-Chambertin, Clos de la Roche and Chambertin in the late 1910s and 1920s, the domaine began to bottle and sell its own wine in the 1930s after advice given by Raymond Baudoin, founder of the La Revue du vin de France.Armand Rousseau was among the first few producers to bottle his own wine in Burgundy, with the majority of other growers in the region selling their wines to négociant businesses to bottle and sell. Rousseau was also a pioneer within Burgundy in selling his wine to the United States market after the end of prohibition in the mid to late 1930s.
Further vineyard acquisitions were made with plots purchased in Mazis Chambertin in 1937, Mazoyeres-Chambertin in 1940 and Clos Saint Jacques in 1954 as well as two additional plots in the Chambertin vineyard in 1943 and 1956.
Charles Rousseau, born in 1923, started working at his father's estate in 1946. Charles had studied law followed by oenology at The University of Dijon. His father Armand was killed in a car accident in 1959 and Charles took over as the sole winemaker.
At the time of Charles taking over the estate, Domaine Rousseau held 6.5 hectares of vineyards. Expansion continued with plots in Clos de Bèze purchased in 1961, Clos de la Roche in 1965 and 1975, additional plots of Chambertin in 1968 and 1983 as well as the entire Clos des Ruchottes vineyard in 1978. Current vineyard holdings stand at just under 14 hectares.
Charles Rousseau's son Eric Rousseau is the current winemaker, with some input still from Charles as well as involvement on the commercial side from his daughters Corinne and Brigitte
About Winery
Armand Rousseau was born in 1884 to a family heavily involved in the wine industry as merchants, coopers and vignerons. He inherited several vineyard plots and the current domaine building in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin as part of his wedding in 1909.
After rapid expansion in vineyard holdings, with purchases in Charmes-Chambertin, Clos de la Roche and Chambertin in the late 1910s and 1920s, the domaine began to bottle and sell its own wine in the 1930s after advice given by Raymond Baudoin, founder of the La Revue du vin de France.Armand Rousseau was among the first few producers to bottle his own wine in Burgundy, with the majority of other growers in the region selling their wines to négociant businesses to bottle and sell. Rousseau was also a pioneer within Burgundy in selling his wine to the United States market after the end of prohibition in the mid to late 1930s.
Further vineyard acquisitions were made with plots purchased in Mazis Chambertin in 1937, Mazoyeres-Chambertin in 1940 and Clos Saint Jacques in 1954 as well as two additional plots in the Chambertin vineyard in 1943 and 1956.
Charles Rousseau, born in 1923, started working at his father's estate in 1946. Charles had studied law followed by oenology at The University of Dijon. His father Armand was killed in a car accident in 1959 and Charles took over as the sole winemaker.
At the time of Charles taking over the estate, Domaine Rousseau held 6.5 hectares of vineyards. Expansion continued with plots in Clos de Bèze purchased in 1961, Clos de la Roche in 1965 and 1975, additional plots of Chambertin in 1968 and 1983 as well as the entire Clos des Ruchottes vineyard in 1978. Current vineyard holdings stand at just under 14 hectares.
Charles Rousseau's son Eric Rousseau is the current winemaker, with some input still from Charles as well as involvement on the commercial side from his daughters Corinne and Brigitte
95-97 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru has a more complex, nuanced bouquet than the Clos Saint Jacques and this year, it insists upon putting distance between the two. It has an effortless quality, unfurling with each swirl dark berried fruit, subtle moss/undergrowth tones that are almost autumnal. The palate is tensile, intense, focused and underpinned by filigree tannins that lend it magnificent sophistication. This is utterly harmonious and an outstanding wine for the vintage. 
(12/2014)
94-97 points Vinous
Another striking wine, the 2013 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze is beautifully layered and expressive today. Violets, lavender, dark spices, mint and new leather meld together as this striking, translucent wine shows off its unmistakable personality. This is an especially refined Bèze with perhaps a bit less power than is customary, but that is not at all a bad thing. As always, the new oak (80%) is quite evident today, but that should not be an issue, as I can't imagine opening a bottle of the 2013 before its tenth birthday, and even that will be too soon for the wine to deliver the full breadth of its pedigree.
