Armand Rousseau : Clos de la Roche Grand cru 2013

A Burgundy Red with Expressing Pure Fruit and Mineral Notes

Today Domaine Armand Rousseau is managed by Eric Rousseau from the family's 4th generation. The estate expands over 15 hectares and 3 ares of some of the finest terroirs in Burgundy's Cotes de Nuits region, including 3 hectares in the Village appellation, 3.77 hectares of Premier Cru vineyards and 8.52 hectares of Grand Cru vineyards in the climats of Morey-Saint-Denis and Gevrey Chambertin. Domaine Armand Rousseau is best known for its terroir-driven Pinot Noir wines, made with grapes grown in the region's famous limestone-clay soils. The Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2013 from Domaine Armand Rousseau is a 100% Pinot Noir made from grapes grown in the prestigious Clos de la Roche climat, the only estate property not located in the municipality of Gevrey-Chambertin but instead in Morey-Saint-Denis. The vines grow in limestone and clay-limestone soils of the Middle Jurassic. The layer of subsoil is very thin here, barely 30 cm, and is based on big blocks of stone, which give the appellation its name ("roche" meaning "stone"). After a meticulous sorting of the grapes, the fruit undergoes a cool maceration lasting 5-7 days. The must is moved by gravity into the barrel, where it remains for the entire vinification process, which typically lasts between 18 and 24 months. The wine is blended and bottled without being filtered.

The Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2013 by Domaine Armand Rousseau reveals in the glass a bright medium red color. On the nose, this Burgundy Pinot Noir seduces with the lovely purity of its red berries and black fruit aromas, blended with licorice, violet and an intense, saline minerality. On the palate, the wine is crisp and pure with a pleasant spicy quality coming forth toward the energetic finish, which is lifted by notes of white pepper, citrus and chalk. A beautiful red Burgundy with no new oak, allowing the fruit of the Pinot Noir and minerality of the terroir to shine through in every sip.