Terroir Insight: Domaine Rousseau, Chambertin Clos de Bèze

Chambertin or Clos de Bèze? .. a relevant question .. however the reply is fairly simple – both please!

Rousseau is one of the only producers who have large holdings of both vineyards – and these holdings are amongst the very best within the respective appellations.

I have already taken a closer look at the mighty Chambertin from Rousseau – so lets take a look at the almost equally acclaimed Chambertin Clos de Bèze.

So lets go to the south of the Bèze appellation!

Domaine Rousseau – more than 100 years of top wines

Three great people, Armand Rousseau, Charles Rousseau and Eric Rousseau have together created a great estate and a tremendous reputation for making some of the greatest red Burgundies – and have like no one else put Gevrey Chambertin on the international wine map.

Armand Rousseau (1884 – 1959) inherited some vineyard plots when he turned 18 in 1902, and this was the foundation of the great domaine we find today at the bottom of the Clos Saint Jacques hill.

He came from a family of vignerons, coopers and local wine merchands, and additional vineyards follow when he married in 1909. This was also the time when the Rousseau estate was established at the current address.

The Rousseau presense on Chambertin Clos de Bèze

Chambertin Clos de Bèze is a relatively “new” appellation for the Rousseau estate, as the first plot was added back in 1961.

The expansion with Clos de Béze was initiated by Charles Rousseau (1923 – 2016) and continued by his son Eric Rousseau with the latest addition in 1992.

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