(Please see my overview of the vintage here.)
Is there ever a vintage where Rousseau doesn’t get it right? Not that I can recall, and I’ve been visiting at this estate annually for nearly three decades. Ho-hum, another year of great wines for those lucky enough to obtain bottles.
Harvesting began on 1 September. Malo-lactic fermentations finished in February, and alcohols are in the normal range.
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Château
This wine displays beautiful, pure red cherry fruit and shows great precision. (92-94)
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin
The regular Gevrey has mineral, wild red Gevrey fruits in the nose and mouth. The wine is very light on the palate with excellent intensity and moderate acidity. (89-92)
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux-Saint-Jacques
The Lavaux-Saint-Jacques has mineral dark fruit that is wild and very ripe, but not overripe. In the mouth, the fruits are dark and less energetic than in cooler years, and there is very good length here. (92-94)
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers
Rousseau’s Cazetiers has a pure, musky nose typical of the vineyard. The mouth is ripe with red cherry liqueur fruit, round, harmonious, and long. (91-93)
2018 Charmes-Chambertin
With a chiseled stone nose, and a mouth of dark and red fruits plus a slight gaminess (from Mazoyères), moderate acidity, finesse, and good precision, this is a very good Charmes-Chambertin. (92-94)
2018 Mazys-Chambertin
The Mazys-Chambertin has dark fruits in the nose. The mouth shows dark cherry, raspberry, and black raspberry fruit and is light and ethereal on the tongue. There are also good tension, length, and precision here. 20% new oak on this wine (previous wines had none). (92-94)
2018 Clos de la Roche
The fruit here is darker than in the previous wines and is of crushed berries quality. The wine has length, finesse, and purity, but not the usual tension of Clos de la Roche. 25% new oak. (92-95)
2018 Ruchottes-Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes
The nose of the Ruchottes is stony and complex with dark fruits. The mouth is pure and tongue-coating, but also with the finesse of the finest wines of the vintage. 30% new oak. (92-95)
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques
The Clos Saint-Jacques has dark fruits and typical gaminess in the nose. The dark fruits continue in the mouth with a dense texture and more structure and power than in the previous wines. The wine is deep and pure with some minerality, too. 80% new oak. (94-96)
2018 Chambertin
Rousseau’s Chambertin is very deep and stony in the nose. The mouth is pure, deep, and long with finesse, and some power, plus great penetration for the fruit. Outstanding length on the finish. 100% new oak, as always. (96-99)
2018 Chambertin-Clos-de-Bèze
Finally, the great Clos-de-Bèze is ripe but precise and pure in its dark fruits. They are long and penetrating, and there is more power and structure here than in the Chambertin. 100% new oak, as always. (97-99)