1999 Armand Rousseau Hospices Clos de la Roche

Retail price in 2006 when The Sampler opened was £150. Extremely sweet and voluptuous – almost over the top. Full-blown. So sweet, ripe and heady it smells like treacle-toffee ice cream with the merest hint of rhubarb. So gorgeous!!! Why can’t all red burgundy deliver this much pleasure? Rich, sweet and long. But not heavy at all. Lush just doesn’t cover it. Neatly gathered up on the finish. (JR)

The 1999 Clos de la Roche from Armand Rousseau went through an awkward youth, when it felt hard and rather disjointed. Now with 15 years on the clock, it is showing better than it used to. The nose is broody and taciturn at first, eventually revealing dusky, brambly red fruit with hints of cola and soy. The palate is medium-bodied with a fleshy core of red fruit and well-judged acidity. The tannins are much finer than I recall, having softened with time, and there is an appealing weightless intensity toward the finish. No, it is not one of the Charles Rousseau’s best 1999s, but it is finally beginning to show its class. Drink now-2020+. Tasted January 2014.