87-89 / 100 Robert Parker The 2015 Gevrey-Chambertin Villages has a straightforward cranberry and raspberry-scented bouquet with a touch of sous-bois, perhaps just seeking a little more precision to develop during its élevage. The palate is medium-bodied with quite firm tannin for a village, a more masculine take on the vintage, but with an attractive spicy note that surfaces right on the finish. This will bestow drinking pleasure over the next 6-8 years.
This year I had the pleasure of Eric Rousseau's daughter Cyrielle escorting me through the barrels at the domaine. Cyrielle graduated with a degree in geology before passing her oenology studies, subsequently working for a retailer in Australia and wineries in New Zealand, and at Adelsheim in Oregon. I cheekily asked whether her colleagues knew she was a scion of the Rousseau dynasty and consequently inundated with requests for a direct allocation of Chambertin? Wisely she kept her background discrete. We had quite a long discussion about New World Pinot Noir during the tasting, which was beneficial, since some of the barrel samples took a while to open. She told me that some parcels of vine suffered powdery mildew pressure as normal in a warm vintage, but they were able to combat this effectively. “Powdery mildew is preferable to rot in wet conditions, because you can do nothing to prevent that,” she remarked. At Domaine Rousseau they started picking early on 3 September, around the same time as across the road at Domaine Claude Dugat, putting down the secateurs six days later. The fermentation was normal and she said that they did not do anything different compared to other years. One thing that was true: the barrel samples were at different stages of their evolution and so I had to take this into account, which is why I sauntered through at a leisurely pace. The early picked wines had tremendous freshness and vitality to them. The fruit profile is certainly towards red, as is common with Armand Rousseau, whereas other growers had more black fruit, due to the concentration of the fruit vis-à-vis later picking dates. These are elegant wines, nuanced, mercurial and beautifully balanced, generally mineral-driven with exceptional freshness and energy—leitmotifs of the best 2015s that I tasted. Standouts include a quite sensational and live-wire Ruchottes-Chambertin "Clos des Ruchottes" and a Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze, one of the standouts of the 2015 vintage. Naturally, demand will outstrip supply several times, but those fortunate to get their mitts on one of Rousseau's 2015s will be in for a treat. What d'ya mean, you knew that already? Once the tasting had been finished, Cyrielle was greeted by the family's dog, the aptly named "Pinot," gathering the hound in her arms for a big hug. She loves her dog just as much as wine lovers are going to love Rousseau's 2015s. 228, The Wine Advocate
16 / 20 Jancis Robinson Seven parcels including some from Ch de Gevrey.
Fresh and bright, sweet fruit. Edgy. Quite cool – none of the richness of 2015. https://www.jancisrobinson.com/tastings/search?keywords=ro..
88-91 / 100 Allen Meadow An agreeably fresh and distinctly earth nose displays hints of forest floor, red currant and a hint of game. I like the sense of vibrancy to the delicious, round and beautifully well-detailed flavors that exude a fine bead of minerality as well as very solid complexity on the lingering and well-balanced finish. https://www.burghound.com/tnsearch/index.php?id=258874
