Reviews & Scores
A potently expressive nose blends both wood and natural spice together with distinctly cool, pure and ripe wild red berries, earth and underbrush. The palate impression is a gorgeous combination of power and refinement along with flat out superb complexity on the explosively long, focused and beautifully well-balanced finish. The supporting structure is dense but fine and this should prove to be a moderately long-lived example. - BH
BH95
A gorgeous wine with enticing aromatics of sweet red flowers, violets, along with exotic spices and raspberries. Silky tannins, lean body, focused and precise. An extremely long finish. - DC
DC95
This year, Eric Rousseau retained ten percent of the stems for the Clos de Bèze. This is a very exotic and stunning young wine, but it was starting to already shut down for a bit of winter hibernation at the time of my visit in early November and it will want a good dozen years in the cellar to really start to blossom and drink at or near its true potential. The superb nose is a blend of red plums, blood orange, grilled meats, raw cocoa, a beautifully complex base of soil, coffee bean and spicy new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with ripe tannins, bright acids and stunning length and grip on the very youthful finish. This is one of the more structured 2011s that I crossed paths with on this trip- albeit with all of the potential elegance and precise expression of terroir still very much in evidence as coming down the road with sufficient bottle age! A great wine- but a fair bit of patience will be necessary. - JG
JG96
The 2011 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru just has its nose in front when compared directly against the 2011 Chambertin. The oak influence that was conspicuous in its youth is not fully assimilated and there is real brightness, a little more precision on the nose. Red cherries, cassis, hints of dark chocolate combine beautifully here. There is a touch of spiciness on the palate, armed with clove and light tobacco secondary notes that lend another dimension on the complex and persistent finish. Superb. (NM) - VM
VM94
The Chambertin Clos de Bèze 2011 from Rousseau was showing too much wood when I tasted it just after bottling. Whereas some 2011s from Rousseau seem to have been handicapped by that, others like this have shrugged it off. Here, it has a more generous bouquet compared to its peers, armed with lush red cherries, strawberry and cassis. The oak vanillin is noticeable but synced with the fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with a plush texture. There is very good depth here and arresting purity – red cherries strawberry and candied orange peel that segue into a citrus fresh and vibrant finish with plenty of energy and race. Superb. (NM) - WA
WA95