88-90 / 100 Robert Parker This dark-colored wine may earn a score at the top of the range, if it gathers some more depth during its elevage. It displays a deep nose of super-sweet black cherries, and a pleasing, seductive, and medium-to-full-bodied character filled with delineated and pure flavors of candied raspberries and cherries. This spicy, silky-textured, expressive, and elegant wine concludes with a long, satiny finish. Projected maturity: 1999-2005.
As far as the 1996 vintage is concerned, Rousseau's comments were bluntly candid - "the North wind is concentration. It saves a harvest, prevents rot, concentrates color and sugar, concentrates everything we want. 1996 is better than 1990, it may be too early to say, but there, I said it."
With that, Rousseau picked up one of the tastevins hanging on the wall (these are the small, wide, shallow, and traditional silver utensils used for tasting. As far as I know he is the only Burgundian who continues to use them on a regular basis), and the tasting began.
118, The Wine Advocate
15 / 20 Jancis Robinson Light ruby. Not especially expressive – a bit lacking stuffing. Lean and not 100% clean. Pretty chewy. Very light. A whisper rather than a song. Dry finish. https://www.jancisrobinson.com/tastings/search?keywords=Ar..
86 / 100 Allen Meadow It had been almost a decade since I last tried this and there is some bricking present. The expressive and cool nose has now gone completely secondary with background notes of earth and sous bois. Otherwise there is good detail to the acceptably complex middle weight flavors that are beginning to lean out, indeed the finish is now thinning which allows the prominent acidity to poke through. I have had consistent notes over the years and this never did come together. Drink up. https://www.burghound.com/tnsearch/index.php?id=248094
