2017 Armand Rousseau, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru, Clos Saint-Jacques 1x75cl

JancisRobinson.com – 19/20

They have been waiting for 10 years to replant but can’t bring themselves to uproot the old vines. Still couldn’t bring themselves to replant this year when they saw the grapes. 80″90% new oak. This is prettily fragrant with red cherry entwined with something more stony. So beautiful on the nose. How can fermented Pinot grapes produce an aroma like this? This is so refined and full of emotion ” vibrant and addictive. This is charming beyond Charmes. Very, very fine texture and perfect freshness to complete a perfect whole. (JH) [27/11/2018]

Anticipated maturity: 2027-2037

Robert Parker – 93

The 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques is being matured in 80% new oak, and it was the one wine in the cellar that was quite strongly marked by its time in barrel when I tasted it. Behind the prominent framing of cedary oak lurks a pretty bouquet of red and black berry fruit, orange rind, rich soil tones and peony. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, tangy and open-knit with a vanillin-inflected finish. I suspect that the final assemblage will be more integrated than the single barrel, but in its structure and overall profile, this looks to be reminiscent of Rousseau’s 2007 Clos Saint-Jacques. [08/12/2018]

Vinous – 96

The 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru has a very perfumed bouquet, beautifully defined with fragrant raspberry preserve, wild strawberry, rose petal and crushed granite aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with velvety tannin. It is not a powerful Clos Saint-Jacques nor the most complex, yet it is utterly harmonious and so silky smooth on the finish that you will find this nigh irresistible. Sensual and gunning for top position amongst the five Clos Saint-Jacques growers in this vintage. [Neal Martin, 10/01/2019]

Anticipated maturity: 2022-2045

Burghound – 94

Here the wood treatment is equally subtle on the restrained nose that displays fresh and cool aromas of red currant, wet stone, tea and forest floor. Like the Ruchottes the mouthfeel of the middle weight flavors is quite sleek and ultra-intense while flashing plenty of minerality on the strikingly well-detailed finish that displays focused power and superb length. This is an exercise in harmony and grace and while it should be approachable after only 6 to 8 years, it should age effortlessly for several decades. [10/01/2020]

Jasper Morris – 94

Fine bright crimson purple with class and some charm. There is a welcome freshness to this wine, and a sense of precision. Not quite the length of Bruno Clair’s Clos St-Jacques, more red fruit, a little acidity, this is strikingly fine boned. [01/09/2021]