Rousseau Two-Ways: Lowest Price
2012 Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin
& Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques
Some of my greatest wine experiences have been provided by Rousseau.
The heights that Rousseau can achieve are simply magical.
For me, DRC, Roumier and Rousseau form the holy trinity of Red Burgundy producers. From top to bottom, Rousseau's wines are vigorous, saturating yet graceful, supremely elegant and devastatingly complex Red Burgundies.
Today, I'm happy to offer two different sides of Rousseau's range in 2012, the Gevrey Villages and Gevrey 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques, both at the lowest price around.
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Rousseau's 2012s are stunning, even by the standards of this domaine. The wines carry a soaring volume and intensity by walking on tip-toes with an extraordinary sense of refinement. A deep minerality is interwoven with a silky texture and a brilliant thread of acidity.
In recent vintages, I've been loving Rousseau's Gevrey Villages. It offers a beautiful window into the genius of Rousseau. What Rousseau achieves with this basic bottling is jaw-dropping and not to be missed. There's such a complex spectrum of red fruits, earth, minerality and a subtle untamed quality. All this is delivered with the breeding that is Rousseau's signature.
Clos St. Jacques is the greatest 1er Cru in all of Gevrey, by a long shot - one of those sites that is considered Grand Cru by many. And Rousseau's Clos St. Jacques is the benchmark for this site. With Chambertin and Beze, Rousseau's Clos St. Jacques forms the apex of the line-up. His 2012 Clos St. Jaccques is killer. Tanzer just comes out and says: "Clos Saint-Jacques doesn't get much better than this."
Rousseau's greatness is well known. You don't have to look any further than the rarity for proof, especially in a short vintage like 2012. There's simply never much to go around. I'm sneaking this in on what I expect will be a quiet Friday because there's not much quantity and well-priced Rousseau seems to always disappear.
To order, reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine and Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits
Burghound: "An elegant and pure nose features aromas of various wild red berries and plenty of earth and sauvage character. A restrained and cool mouth feel characterizes the lightly mineral and saline-inflected middle weight flavors that possess both good balance and delineation on the lingering finish. This will be approachable young if desired."
Stephen Tanzer for Vinous Media: "Bright, dark red. Highly perfumed nose combines tangy red berries, rose petal and crushed rock. Silky on entry, then intensely flavored and bracing, delivering urgent, sharply delineated flavors of crushed red fruits, flowers and minerals. Offers outstanding cut and inner-mouth tension, especially in the context of the year. Wonderfully complex and precise on the juicy, endless finish, which leaves the taste buds quivering. Clos Saint-Jacques doesn't get much better than this, and I would not be at all surprised if this wine merited an even higher score as it approaches maturity."