TN: Rousseau Chambertin v Rousseau Clos de Beze vertical battle - WHO WILL REIGN SUPREME!?

ROUSSEAU CHAMBERTIN V ROUSSEAU CLOS DE BEZE VERTICAL BATTLE - WHO WILL REIGN SUPREME!? - Jonathan Club (4/8/2021)

Dinner was some time in the making as we awaited vaccinations and Los Angeles re-opening outdoor dining. The day finally came where everyone got vaccinated and LA allowed outdoor dining, so we celebrated at the rooftop Tasting Table at the Jonathan Club.

Beautiful venue overlooking the downtown Los Angeles skyline, just a singular large circular table with a delicious tasting menu prepared by Chef Andreas Roller. We complimented the cuisine with a showdown for the ages between Rousseau Chambertin and Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze.

Hard to nitpick these wines as they were all great in their own way, but to me the 93 Beze, 99 Chambertin, and 02 Chambertin were the stars of the show. But I think given another decade, the Beze might have gone in for the full sweep.

Wines were all double decanted for sediment at home except for the 93 Chambertin which was decanted at the restaurant. Could explain why it took awhile to get going while the other wines were shining from the get go.

  • 1993 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru
    holy perfume on the nose - fruit is crazy on it with a high toned floral perfume. The texture is going wild on the palate - the minerality is bouncy and fresh - but the fruit seems a touch hollow. The nose took awhile to come around as it was a bit musty and funky but the palate never quite turned around. Not the best bottle we’ve had of it. Unfortunate as this bottle was purchased on release by the person that brought it.
  • 1993 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
    wowwwww this plate is enormous - there’s a precision but power along the middle that focuses the wine and blasts through like a rocket. The deft balance of fruit, spice and sweetness. Incredible wine. Probably WOTN to me. Also purchased on release.


  • 1999 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru
    warm vanilla and spice, rhubarb, cherry tart on the nose. High acid- more square and needs some time initially but by the end of the night there’s intense cherry on the palate - sappy deep red fruit that lingers for a long while that comes from a balanced elegance on the mid palate. Really fine detailed wine, my second wotn
  • 1999 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
    airy dark cherry and baked spice with some vanilla - the fruit is pure with grainy tannin. There’s a warmness and beauty to the dark black fruit that brings a gorgeous inner perfume on the palate. Isn’t as detailed and precise as the Chambertin is, but seems just a few years back in development but will get to the same point soon.


  • 2002 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru
    love the subtle elegance of the plush weighty dark red fruit. There’s a spicy kick on the tannin. But boy, does it show so much depth in its primary profile. It’s not a youthful primary note, but one that’s assertive while being balanced. Delicious wine, 3rd of the night for me.
  • 2002 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
    damn that’s a big boy. Crazy opulent fruit. There’s some oak on the back end tho that’s tough. A little gritty edge. Piercing glycerin and super ripe fruit. This is fully youthful juicy primary that I expected 2002s to be in. Like the 99 Beze, the beze seems to be showing more primary and less developed.


  • 2008 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru
    Really odd bottle of 08 Chambertin. I’ve had this a few times thanks to steve and they’ve all been glorious bottles of wine. But this one had a weird green note on the nose. The palate also kept switching back between forward dark sweet fruit and then heavy doses of brett. Can’t say I’ve ever had this issue on a youngish Rousseau before. All the same lot from the prior ones opened, so a single negative standout is weird.
  • 2008 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
    There’s something about youngish Rousseau Clos de Beze - while Chambertin seems to lean more into opulence and weighty ripe fruit, the beze seems to lead into structured complexity. The 08 beze gives you a TON of spicy pepper on the nose and the palate has this broad structured tannin frame with swirling sweet clean red fruit roaming effortlessly within that frame.


  • 2013 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru
    2013 is a semi maligned vintage in Burgundy, but on the top end for both white and red Burgundy I feel like they’ve really shined. I can’t remember the last 2013 from one of the top producers that I wasn’t absolutely floored by the material in the wine. Had the 2013 Rousseau Clos de Beze a few months ago and it was a really incredible wine in that spicy structured manner.

The 2013 Chambertin we had today was full on wild sweet red berry fruit on a broad meaty profile. You get some smoked game, sweet earthy and pops of sweet berry that run deep into the finish. Also the acidity plays a huge role in the undercurrent of the wine as it keeps all that wildness in check and focused. Really damn good wine. I think everyone at the table was pretty surprised how fantastic it was.

super notes and congrats on being vaccinated. Such a good feeling. First time I had the 93 was at Troisgros—300€ and amazing back then about 2002. Good for you. Hope to see more notes.

Great notes. Glad to see these wonderful wines being tasted and enjoyed.

93 Chambertin at Troisgros was the wine that got me into this hobby. It was indeed about 300 euro.

i think we’re due for a Dr. Weinberg reappearance!

I’m being called up to the majors!

Well done Charlie.

Troisgros. Loved that place, the food, the presentation, the wine list! I once drove from Barcelona to Paris, first stop was at El Bulli, last stop Troisgros. Great memories…

You are DH, expected to hit home runs.

Warning… continued thread drift…
Yes, what a great restaurant. That place even played a role in me meeting my wife. Great food, great service yet less “stuffy” then some other 3 macarons. I am going to miss the old place by the train station.

I have never really had good access to Rousseau through retail channels and have not chased at auction since the big price uptick in the late '90s. When I have been able to get my glass in the way of a bottle being poured, I’ve always adored the wines. Bummer on the one under-performer but otherwise sounds like a really fantastic night of Burgundy in a fine environment.

Cheers,
fred

i really just need the space with that 6 pack of krug i keep kicking when i walk into my cellar ;p

haha. Put it on top of the pallet of Rousseau.

Friends,

Fantastic notes. A bit surpised but enormously pleased the 2013 already showed so well. LONG LIVE ROUSSEAU and may Charles be remembered forever.

SINCERELY JOHAN

Nice!
I could have added the 1990 of each.

The ‘91 Chambertin may be the greatest wine I have ever drunk. ‘91’s were always overshadowed by the 1990 hype, but the Leroy ‘91’s, for example, are far superior to the previous year, where to me the wines all taste stewed.

Dear David,

I fully agree the 91s have always been undervalued compared to the 90s. Some of my greatest Burgs ever are also from that 91 vintage. I just want to mention that at the time WINE SPECTATOR (very popular in the states I guess) thought it was an average vintage. never relied on WS…

SINCERELY JOHAN

What a great tasting!

93 and 95 Close de Beze are two of my favorite wines ever. And definitely set the Burgundy bar very high.

I agree completely for the Côte de Nuits; I’ve enjoyed the 1990s but I’ve (almost) always loved the 91s…
My only caveat, some of the 91s are fading, the 1990s seem completely stable…
A great tasting Monsieur Fu!

My last encounters in 2020 :

February 2020
Rousseau Clos St-Jacques 2013 : a great wine, but we had even better, this day, with Bart Bonnes-Mares 2013 and Bart Chambertin Clos de Bèze 2013.

September 2020 :
Gevrey-Chambertin 1er cru Clos Saint-Jacques Domaine Armand Rousseau 2008 : 18/20 (report by a friend)
Quelle diabolique précision de parfums floraux sur cette cuvée… Délicatesse envoûtante de la rose à peine éclose, dont on imaginerait presque voir perler l’humidité matinale. Passée cette invitation, nous pénétrons dans un registre à la fois épicé – massalé - et terrien : betterave confite, rouille, humus, petrichor… La bouche d’une grande vitalité, distille ces nobles parfums au fil du déroulé de tanins fibreux, habillés d’une salivante sucrosité s’éternisant pour notre plus grand plaisir.

July 2020
2008 Domaine A. Rousseau P. & F. Chambertin Grand Cru : 17,5/20 (report by a friend)
Superbe nez de pinot fin, désormais dans sa fenêtre de maturité, avec des notes de griottes, d’épices, de feuille de cola, avec une pointe de pivoine séchée et de betterave fumée. La bouche n’a pas la puissance classique du Chambertin, elle est plutôt légère, de demi-corps et élancée. Petite amertume (impression de sécheresse) de tannins en finale. Autant l’aromatique du vin va encore séduire pendant longtemps, autant cette touche en finale oriente plutôt pour une consommation à court terme de ce vin. Le nez a un net avantage sur la bouche.

I wish I still had some 1993 …