GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN'S CROWNING GLORY

FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY, DOMAINE ARMAND ROUSSEAU HAS BEEN A SHINING LIGHT IN BURGUNDY

- BRUCE SANDERSON

Eric Rousseau peruses the wine list at Chez Guy, a chic restaurant favored by vignerons in the center of Gevrey-Chambertin. He settles on a Gevrey-Chambertin 2016 from Domaine Duroché, a colleague in the village. Decorations from the past weekend's festival of Saint Vincent, patron saint of winegrowers, remain installed in the town and clearly, there is pride and camaraderie among the Gevrey growers.

Humble, boyish, and soft-spoken, with smiling eyes, only the creases on his face bear witness to 40 years working in the vineyards. He raises his glass when proprietor Guy Rebsamen pours a taste. "C'est bon," he says and nods as if recognizing an old friend.

Rousseau knows the terroirs of Gevrey-Chambertin well. As the owner of Domaine Armand Rousseau, he farms parcels in some of its best climates, including sizable holdings in Chambertin, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze, Ruchottes-Chambertin, and Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St.Jacques, an exalted premier cru that many Burgundy aficionados consider to be of grand cru quality.

His meticulous cultivation of the Pinot Noir grapes in these plots results in wines that are prized around the globe. The wines always reveal the purity of fruit, with superb harmony, complexity, and length and a vibrant feel that lends finesse and energy. The oak is never obtrusive, even in the top three-Clos St.-Jacques, Clos de Bèze, and Chambertinwhich sometimes age in 100% new oak Burgundy pièces. In short, they are benchmark wines for both the commune and the region.

The philosophy chez Rousseau is neither a mystery nor complicated and has remained consistent over three generations. "Our philosophy, really, is to bring Pinot Noir in the bottle as naturally as possible through our work in the vineyards, the vinification, and aging,” says Rousseau. “I think our clients come here and they find the wines agreeable, wines of pleasure."