Deep ruby-red. Subdued but complex aromas of black fruits, licorice, bitter chocolate and fresh herbs. Extremely dense but backward, with superb purity and penetration of black fruits, bitter chocolate and licorice. Wonderfully sweet and aromatic in the mouth, but rather brooding today, and a bit closed in on itself. Very slow-building finish shows substantial but fine tannins and outstanding length.
Reviews:
- Wine Advocate: Pine resin, sweet blackberries, and dark cherries are found in the nose of the 2002 Chambertin. Medium-bodied, its silky-textured character offers spice box, black raspberry, cherry, cassis, and notes of fresh herbs. This pure, noble, suave wine also possesses a prolonged, seamless finish that is loaded with additional layers of fruit. Corinne Rousseau stated that ‘it will age forever.’
- Vinous: Rousseau’s 2002 Chambertin is in the zone. Succulent, racy and open, the 2002 is ready to deliver pleasure. The purity of the fruit alone is striking. Even so, the 2002 is still very much at the early part of its first plateau of maturity, as the flavors remain very bright and fresh. In this vertical, the 2002 comes across as a wine of immediacy, with a bit less structure and overall energy than the very best vintages. I say that with some hesitation, as the 2002 is exceptional. It is just a little less exceptional than a few of the other wines in this vertical.
Producer Information
Domaine Armand Rousseau is a highly regarded and critically lauded wine producer based in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin, in the northern Côte de Nuits. Arguably iconic in status, Armand Rousseau is one of Burgundy’s oldest and most revered family-run domains. It holds many grand cru plots in Gevrey-Chambertin as well as part of the much sought-after premier cru vineyard Clos Saint-Jacques.Founded at the start of the 20th Century by Gevrey native Armand Rousseau, the domaine initially owned small plots of vines throughout Gevrey-Chambertin. Over the next 100 years under both Armand Rousseau and his son Charles, who took over after the death of his father in 1959, the Domaine acquired various grand cru vineyards in Charmes-, Mazis- (labeled “Mazy” by the domaine) and Mazoyères-Chambertin, culminating in a plot in Le Chambertin itself in 1994.
