1990 Domaine Armand Rousseau Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

My first bottle of Rousseau. Served blind, it was easy to grasp the aromas of fresh cherry, kirsch, earth and forest scents. Silky, soft and refined, there was a lush, sensuous quality to the texture. I do not normally comment on value in tasting notes, unless the wine delivered an amazing QPR. I almost fell over in my chair when I found out how much this wine cost! Nice wine, but are you kidding me? 95 Points

Rich and round and scented and pretty complex. Round and rich and gorgeous. Very vigorous with lots of direct fruit. Very long and powerful. Pretty dry finish. (JR)

From a bottle tasted at the Domaine: Like the bottle reviewed at the big Chambertin vs. Clos de Bèze tasting, there are wonderfully complex aromatics of underbrush, earth, dried herbs and spice notes followed by earthy, moderately structured flavors of real distinction and good length. This bottle was also fresher than the prior one though it too has basically arrived at its peak as the flavors have rounded out and offer plenty of velvet and spice. An excellent wine that is just short of the Chambertin. Note: a magnum of this drunk in January of 2002 was materially better, with more complexity, freshness and better overall balance, meriting a score of 93/2008-20 (see elsewhere here).