Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Tasted blind, the 2015 Chambertin Grand Cru confirms its status as one of the wines of the vintage—and as the unequivocal highlight of Rousseau's 2015 portfolio. Aromas of sweet red-black fruits, candied peel and cedar mingle with nuances of grilled meats and raw cocoa in a complex bouquet, with a touch of oak vanillin emerging with aeration. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and immensely layered, with succulent acids, supple and fine-grained tannins and an exceptionally long finish. Despite its aromatic and textural drama, it remains controlled and quintessentially elegant.
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Wine Spectator
Laced with black currant, black cherry and blueberry fruit, this majestic red is ripe and fresh. Spice notes add depth and the dense structure offers support. This still needs time to integrate, but all the component parts are there. Shows terrific energy and potential. Best from 2024 through 2050
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Decanter
A dense oaky nose, powerful and forthright with cherries and dark fruits emerging. The density is present on the palate too, but there is ample acidity to lift it. The tannins are extremely fine, the silkiness of the texture overriding the structure at present. The finish is elegant, poised, and very long. Impeccably balanced and will age very well.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
This small village is home to the Grands Crus in the farthest northerly stretches of Côte de Nuits and is famous for some of the deepest and firmest Burgundian Pinot Noir.
Gevrey boasts nine Grands Crus, the best of which are arguably Le Chambertin and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. As with all of the fragmented vineyards of Burgundy, it isn’t easy to differentiate between the two, which are situated adjacent with Clos de Bèze slightly further up the hill than Le Chambertin. Clos de Bèze has a shallower soil and if you’re really counting, may produce wines less intense but more likely to charm. Some compare Le Chambertin in both power and plentitude only to the prized Romanée-Conti Grand Cru farther south in Vosne-Romanée.
Two other Grands Crus vineyards, Mazis-Chambertin (also written Mazy-) and Latricières-Chambertin command almost as much regard as Le Chambertin and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. The upper part of Mazy, called Les Mazis Haut is the best and Latricières-Chambertin offers an abundance of juicy fruit and a silky texture in the warmer vintages.
Other Grands Crus are Ruchottes-Chambertin, Charmes-Chambertin, Mazoyères-Chambertin, Griotte-Chambertin and Chapelle-Chambertin.
The most respected Pinot Noir wines from Gevrey-Chambertin are robust and powerful but at the same time, velvety and expressive: black fruit, black liquorice and chocolate come into play. After some time in the bottle, the wines are harmonious with bright and sometimes candied fruit, and aromas of musk, truffle and forest floor. These have staying power.