Senior editor and tasting director Bruce Sanderson joined Wine Spectator in 1993. His tasting beats are Burgundy, Champagne and Germany.

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A Star from Gevrey-Chambertin

Armand Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin 2006

Bruce Sanderson
Posted: February 10, 2009

I love the wines from Domaine Armand Rousseau in Gevrey-Chambertin, in Burgundy's Côtes de Nuits. I have visited the cellars twice, to taste the 2003 and 2005 vintages from barrel. Many of the 2003 Rousseau wines earned outstanding scores in my blind tastings.

Rousseau owns an impressive array of vineyards, mostly in Gevrey. There are four grands crus, including Chambertin-Clos de Bèze and Chambertin. The domaine's Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St.-Jacques, a top-level premier cru, gets the top-dog treatment with 100 percent new oak; the 2003 scored 94 points. These wines sell for about $150 to $250 per bottle.

But you can enjoy the Rousseau experience without buying one of these top wines. Try the entry-level Gevrey-Chambertin, a black cherry-, tobacco- and spice-flavored red. It shows the classic briary Gevrey character in the supple Rousseau style. On my most recent trip to Burgundy, I had the 2006 Gevrey-Chambertin at Johan Björklund's excellent Bistro de l'Hotel in Beaune, for 65 euros, about $85, and scored it 90 points, non-blind.