Armand Rousseau : Chambertin Grand cru 2018

Domaine Rousseau's holdings in this most prestigious of Gevrey-Chambertin Grands Crus are made up of four parcels covering 2.5ha. The good news is that there are 40 barrels of this sought-after wine in 2018, all of them new because 'it needs them to develop', according to Cyrielle Rousseau. It's a refined, even patrician wine showing subtle cinnamon spice, racy acidity and layers of raspberry and wild strawberry fruit. Denser and more powerful than it appears, this will age well in bottle.

This year, it takes the upper hand over Clos de Bèze: notes of fresh mint, licorice and salty licorice, an extra touch of freshness in its savory sap, an athletic, streamlined body, crisp, refined tannins—standing proudly in Burgundy’s pantheon.

The 2018 Chambertin Grand Cru wafts from the glass with a complex bouquet of red berries, plums, rose petals and orange rind, framed by bass notes of rich, loamy soil and carnal nuances of smoked meats. Full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, it's layered and concentrated, its expansive attack segueing into a richly structured but impressively vibrant mid-palate, concluding with a long, resonant finish. This is a brilliant wine that readers should plan on forgetting for at least a decade.