Winery Armand Rousseau - Cote de Nuits - Burgundy

DOMAINE ARMAND ROUSSEAU
1, rue de l'Aumônerie
21220 GEVREY CHAMBERTIN
Tél. : 33 (0)3 80 34 30 55
Fax : 33 (0)3 80 58 50 25
Charles, Corinne et Eric ROUSSEAU
www.domaine-rousseau.com
contact@domaine-rousseau.com

OUR HISTORY


The Domain was started at the beginning of the century by Armand Rousseau who, at his majority, inherited several plots of vineyards in Gevrey Chambertin. Armand Rousseau was issued from a family of small landowners, who were mainly vine growers, coopers and local wine merchants.
His wedding in 1909 allows him to increase the superficy of his vineyards and at the same time to acquire the present Domain premises with the living house, the storing places, the cellars and the winery, situated in the oldest part of the village, near the 13th. Century church.
Armand Rousseau first sells his wines in bulk to local wholesalers. Then very rapidly, he buys new vineyards such as CHARMES CHAMBERTIN in 1919, CLOS DE LA ROCHE and CHAMBERTIN in 1920 and 1921 and he decides to bottle himself his most prestigious wines and sell them directly to consumers, particularly to restaurants and connoisseurs, wisely advised by Raymond Baudoin, a great friend of his and the founder of the "Revue des Vins de France".


As years go by, Armand Rousseau continues to enlarge his Domain with the purchase of more Grands Crus, classified as such in 1935 when the "Institut des Appellations d'Origine Contrôlée" was created, that is, MAZY CHAMBERTIN in 1937, MAZOYERES CHAMBERTIN (now appearing under the appellation of CHARMES CHAMBERTIN) in 1940, CHAMBERTIN in 1943 and 1956.
The CLOS SAINT JACQUES is bought in 1954 in his son Charles's name who, after studying law and then oenology in Dijon University, joins his father in 1945.


In 1959, after Armand Rousseau's death in a car accident on his way back from hunting, Charles Rousseau is at the head of a Domain of 6 ha which he will continue developing rapidly thanks to his great knowledge in oenology, and his experience, by acquiring new vineyards, especially in "Grands Crus" areas.
Speaking fluently English and German, he decides to turn principally towards export, and, after the USA where his father had already started to sell his wines right after prohibition at the end of the 30's, he develops the exchanges first with Great-Britain, Germany, Switzerland, soon afterwards to all European countries, then to Canada, Australia, New-Zealand, Brazil, etc. and lastly Asia in the 1970’s.



During all these years, while maintaining traditional modes of viticulture and vinification, Charles Rousseau acquires more modern and better performing equipments.
At the beginning of the 1980's, two vaulted cellars are dug in order to increase the storing capacity necessary to the acquisition of the new vineyards.

At the same time, his son Eric, after secondary studies in the Lycée Agricole et Viticole of Macon Davayé and one year specializing in Oenology in Dijon University, joins him to take care more especially of the vineyards and the vinification.



In 1993, Corinne, Charles's elder daughter, after many years of professional experience in export abroad and in France, comes back to the Domain, gets the same year a diploma in Oenology, and in her turn takes in charge the commercial relationship with customers.
New works are effected during 1996 summer with the enlargement of the winery, already fully equipped with open stainless steel vats, to allow the use of an automatic "pigeage" system, and at the same time, a new cellar is built for the storing of the bottles.


During the 1996 summer, the winery, already fully equipped of stainless steel vats, is enlarged for the use of a double pneumatic "pigeage" equipment. That same year is dug a second cellar for the aging of wine in bottles.

In 1999 and 2001, two new equipments are acquired: a pneumatic press and a destemmer to allow an even more delicate manipulation of the grapes without crushing the berries.

The winery has been renovated again in 2002 and 2004, with the addition of an air-conditioning equipment necessary to vinify our grapes in the best conditions, then we had the floor resin-covered and the walls repainted in a nice creme-rapsberry colour for better hygiene and easier cleaning.

For the vineyards we acquired a new 'enjambeur', this high-wheel tractor, in 2004 winter, which adds to the two others we already had. In fact, each vineyard is deeply ploughed several times a year and it improves daily work. For the first time this year, we also had a part of our Chambertin ploughed with a horse because of the steep slope in this area.


OUR KNOW HOW


At the present day, the Domaine vineyards have a surface area of 13 ha 70, of which 2 ha 21 are of Village Appellation, 3 ha 47 of 1er Cru Appellation and 8 ha 01 of Grands Crus A.O.C., all situated in the communes of Gevrey-Chambertin and Morey-Saint-Denis.
The vines are mostly very old with an average aged of 40 to 45 years.

The vines are 100% Pinot Noir with 10 000 vines planted per hectare. The selections used are clones chosen for their small production and their concentration. "Guyot simple" pruning is being used in all vineyards. The exposure is towards the South-East on lime-clay soils.
The method of culture in the vineyards is traditional with low yields, from 30 to 35 hectoliters per hectare. No fertilizer has been used for many years. "Debudding" and green harvest are systematically done in productive years in order to optimize the maturity of grapes and the concentration of phenolic components. Grape picking is entirely done by hand with systematic sorting to eliminate unhealthy grapes and a delicate manipulation to avoid crushing the grapes.

Vinification is done in a very traditional style with 90% destemming, a 15-days fermentation in open stainless steel vats with regular "pumping over" and "pigeage", and a strict control of temperatures with a maximum of 31-32°C. Once alcoholic fermentation is over, the wines are delicately pressed in a pneumatic press, let to settle 24 hours, and then transferred in oak barrels down in the cellars where malolactic fermentation takes place during winter.



The wine is then aged in 100 % new oak barrels for the Chambertin, the Chambertin Clos de Bèze and the Clos Saint Jacques, 25 to 30% generally for the Clos des Ruchottes and the Clos de la Roche and in 2-year-old barrels for the other Crus.
The toasting of the barrels is medium. Ageing lasts 20 to 22 months during which 2 to 3 rackings are done if necessary.
Bottling takes place twice a year in May-June and in August-September after a very light plaque filtration to preserve the delicate Pinot Noir fruit and retain finesse and elegance.



The bottling is done by gravity, directly from the barrels after "assemblage", and always at cellar temperature. The average production is 65 000 bottles per year.
The commercialization of the different Crus of the Domaine takes place for 90% in foreign countries where the wines are present in more than 30 countries. In France, they are reserved to some connoisseurs and retailers, as well as starred restaurants mostly situated in Paris, in Alsace and in the Rhone Valley.

Appellation:

Chambertin
(2.15 ha)

Vigourous and firm, with a caracteristic aroma of liquorice.
Very structured, dense and powerful with firm tannins. Great length.
Not to drink before 10-12 years.
Needs a lot of time to fully develop

Gevrey-Chambertin Village
(2.21 ha)
Compact and dense structure.
Fine and intense nose.
Red fruit aroma with raspberry notes dominant.
To drink after 5-6 years.

Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

Two appellations :

• LES CAZETIERS : 59,60 a

• LAVAUX-SAINT-JACQUES : 46,72 a
Muscular and rustic with a certain firmness.
To drink after 6-7 years.

Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos-Saint-Jacques

(2.22ha)
Well balanced and harmonious.
Strong and well integrated tannins.
Powerful and intense in the mouth with a lot of delicacy.
Black fruit and " cassis " dominant.

Mazy-Chambertin Grand Cru
(0.53 ha)
Hard and rustic body.
Virile and powerful, sometimes tannic.
Wait 7-8 years to drink until it softens
Wait at least 8-10 years to drink.

Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

(1.37 ha)
Very supple with a lot of elegance and finesse.
Floral and little red fruit aromas.
Can be drunk after 6-7 years, but wait in long lasting vintages.

Clos de La Roche
(1.48 ha)
It is situated in the village of Morey-Saint-Denis.
Mineral, powerful and monolith.
Long aftertaste. Consistent and firm.
Wait at least 8 years to drink

Ruchottes-ChambertinClos Des Ruchottes - Monopole

(1.06 ha)
Aromatic and very complex.
Spices and little red fruit notes.
Often with a tannic finish.
A lot of elegance, velvety touch and finesse.
Do not drink too young. Wait at least 8-10 years.

Chambertin Clos De Bèze

(1.42 ha)
Complex and tannic with a deep colour and a great length in mouth.
A very rich aromatic range with little red fruit and oriental spices.
A lot of delicacy.
Not to drink before 10-12 years.