Clos de la Roche Armand Rousseau 1998

Domaine Armand Rousseau Clos de la Roche 1998 is a mature-vintage Burgundy red wine from the Grand Cru climat of Clos de la Roche in the Côte de Nuits. Based in Gevrey-Chambertin, Domaine Armand Rousseau unquestionably sits amongst the greats of Burgundy with a portfolio of wines from some of the most revered vineyards in the region. Cyrielle Rousseau is now assuming more control of day-to-day operations and is maintaining the incredible quality standards of her predecessors. On this 1998 offering from the prestigious Morey-Saint-Denis Grand Cru. "The nose is deep and quite fine, offering up notes of black cherries, beetroot, mustard seed, incipient notes of venison, woodsmoke, coffee and a bit of sous bois. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and complex, with moderate acids, but good depth in the mid-palate, fine balance, and excellent length and grip on the moderately tannic finish. In comparison to the Dujac, the wine is just a touch four-square for Clos de la Roche, but this wine has fine grand cru depth and real sweetness to the fruit. If it only had a bit more acidity to brighten up the palate and add even more structural integrity, it would be truly outstanding. Nevertheless, this is a very strong Clos de la Roche chez Rousseau." John Gilman, 2004