Rousseau

[JonathanP]

At dinner, following the Vente des Vins in Beaune:
Started with village Chambolle-Musigny 2010 from Jadot which was excellent. Fresh fruit, good balance and a fair amount of power for a Chambolle.
Clos de la Roche 2013 Rousseau: gobs of fruit, great elegance, wonderful long finish. Very enjoyable now, but undoubtedly will be spectacular in another ten years.
Clos St Jacques 2012 Rousseau: an enigma. This one was decanted and served blind. Obviously young, It was rather unyielding and closed. It did get going after a while and with plenty of swirling, but the elegance of a Clos St Jacques was not really there. We pegged it as a Corton. Just needs a lot more time, I guess.

[AlexR]

What I read on wine boards is that Rousseau's Chambertin and Clos de Bèze are to die for, but that quality is less stellar as you go down the range.

One of the gems in my cellar is a 2002 Rousseau Chambertin.

Alex R.

[jal]

I agree. The only Rousseau that doesn't do it for me is the Clos St Jacques. The Ruchottes and the Charmes Chambertin are my favorites. Unfrotunately, since 2005 the prices on all Rousseau wines have escalated so high that they are no longer affordable.

[JonathanP]

My tuppenceworth is that I find Roussea wines generally excellent across the whole range. When it shines, Chambertin is ethereal. Clos de Beze is more powerful and perhaps more consistent, so in trickier years can outshine the Chambertin. Maybe a bit lick Romanee-Conti and La Tache? They both sell for a lot of money in the secondary market, but I believe are fairly priced (a very subjective view, I know) for what they deliver on release. The grand crus (and I include Clos St Jacques here) have their own personalities, and represent their terrors very well. I have a particular soft spot for the Rochottes (the combination of a florality, elegance and purity with suppleness), but that is just my personal taste. Further down the range, there is no doubt the wines are superbly made, but QPR does always come into consideration. I am a fan.