Chambertin, Domaine Armand Rousseau 2012

This is slightly cooler than the Mazoyères with its beautifully layered nose of various dark berries, pungent earth, truffle, humus and more evident notes of the sauvage. This sleek and focused effort displays plenty of minerality and drive on the middle weight plus flavors that possess plenty of dry extract before concluding in a linear, intense and beautifully deep and persistent finish that displays its usual youthful austerity. I very much like the sense of harmony and balance and this moderately robust effort should age effortlessly for years to come if desired.

The 2012 Chambertin Grand Cru has an ethereal bouquet with pure raspberry, wild strawberry, orange blossom, hints of iodine and a subtle marine influence. The oak is more integrated at this stage than the Clos de Beze: a multi-dimensional bouquet whose secrets will only be revealed with bottle age. The palate is medium-bodied with supremely fine tannins. There is a brooding intensity here - a sense of completeness and harmony that is entrancing. It is not a powerful Chambertin nor even a multidimensional one - at the moment. But it is an effortless Chambertin that will age 20-30 years with little problem, bewitching everywhere it goes.

Discreet wood sets off a highly reserved nose of dark berries, earth and animale nuances that are trimmed in notes of spice, sandalwood and exotic tea scents. There is superbly good detail and focused power to the large-scaled flavors that also possess an outstanding concentration of structure buffering dry extract that imparts a sappy texture to the intensely mineral-driven and explosively long finish. This is a youthfully austere example of the genre that is presently quite compact and linear and thus will require at least a decade to flesh out and unwind but it should be a great Chambertin in time.