100 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "This is as good an example of young red Burgundy as I have ever had the pleasure to taste and has to rank up at the very summit of wines that I have tasted in the last several years. The combination here of bottomless depth of pure and very sappy fruit, the glorious complexity of unmatched soil tones and the seamless and effortless beauty of this wine on the palate are the stuff of legend. The brilliantly stunning bouquet is a youthful blend of red plums, red and black cherries, cocoa powder, crystalline minerality, dark chocolate, woodsmoke, gentle notes of mustard seed, vanillin oak and a pungent topnote of violets. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, flawless in its focus and balance and very, very sappy at the core, with magical transparency down to that great Chambertin terroir, vibrant acids, fine-grained tannins and seamless balance and grip on the endless, electric and supremely elegant finish. Just wait until this wine sees some bottle age and starts to get complex! Sheer brilliance. 2025-2080. (Nov/Dec 2012)"
99 points Charles Curtis, MW (Decanter): "A monumental, magnificent wine. The Rousseau Chambertin 2012 tasted six years out was a bit closed at first: still slightly reduced and showing a fair bit of wood. Now, as it sits in the glass, it reveals majestic black cherry fruit with all the nuance of Burgundy: violets, smoke, a hint of leather, mineral, fresh earth and a savoury note at the end. Concentrated on the palate and wonderfully long on the finish. Simply spectacular. Drinking Window: 2026-2060. (May 2018)"
96-99 points Fine Wine Review: "Last, the Chambertin is clearly the top of the heap in this vintage. The wine is yet more complete in the nose than the Clos-de-Bèze with a touch of animality to it. The mouth shows greater power and concentration to its red fruit. There is great depth here, but also weightlessness, and it appears that this wine will need longer to come around than the Clos-de-Bèze, but with fantastic potential. (Issue #141; 2014)"
97 points Allen Meadows (Burghound): "Discreet wood sets off a highly reserved and not quite as overtly ripe nose of dark berries, earth, and animale nuances that are trimmed in notes of spice, in particular anise, sandalwood and exotic tea scents. There is superbly good detail and focused power to the large-scaled flavors that also possess an outstanding concentration of structure buffering dry extract that imparts a sappy texture to the intensely mineral-driven and explosively long finish. This is a youthfully austere example of the genre that is presently quite compact and linear and thus will require at least a decade to flesh out and unwind but if you have the patience to wait it should be a great Chambertin in 20+ years. (Jan 2014)"
97 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "Rousseau's 2012 Chambertin towers out of the glass. Sophisticated, finessed yet also powerful to the core, the 2012 Chambertin captures a compelling range of expressions. Crushed flowers, sweet red berries, mint, leather and cedar meld into a huge core of fruit in a dramatic, powerful Chambertin that will require considerable bottle age to show the full breadth of its potential. Drink: 2027-2052. (Nov 2014)"
96+ points Stephen Tanzer (Vinous): " Healthy medium red. Reticent aromas of redcurrant, black cherry, raspberry and smoky minerality. Hugely concentrated and sweet, but in a distinctly cooler and less expressive style than the Clos de Bèze. Sappy, saline wine with an incredible whiplash of a finish that leaves the palate saturated. Showing more red fruits than black in the early going, this is still an infant. Drink: 2029-2047. (Nov 2014)"
96 points Neal Martin (Wine Advocate): "Tasted blind at the annual "Burgfest" tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Chambertin Grand Cru has a touch of mint on the nose, complementing the mixture of red and black fruit, a pastille-like purity developing with time. This is very charming and the oak is neatly folded into the fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, the acidity perfectly judged and lending the tension and poise one expects from a Chambertin. It does lose a little intensity in the glass but it's from such a high point it is neither here nor there. This is a wonderful Chambertin. Drink: 2018-2040. (Oct 2015)"
99 points Charles Curtis, MW (Decanter): "A monumental, magnificent wine. The Rousseau Chambertin 2012 tasted six years out was a bit closed at first: still slightly reduced and showing a fair bit of wood. Now, as it sits in the glass, it reveals majestic black cherry fruit with all the nuance of Burgundy: violets, smoke, a hint of leather, mineral, fresh earth and a savoury note at the end. Concentrated on the palate and wonderfully long on the finish. Simply spectacular. Drinking Window: 2026-2060. (May 2018)"
96-99 points Fine Wine Review: "Last, the Chambertin is clearly the top of the heap in this vintage. The wine is yet more complete in the nose than the Clos-de-Bèze with a touch of animality to it. The mouth shows greater power and concentration to its red fruit. There is great depth here, but also weightlessness, and it appears that this wine will need longer to come around than the Clos-de-Bèze, but with fantastic potential. (Issue #141; 2014)"
97 points Allen Meadows (Burghound): "Discreet wood sets off a highly reserved and not quite as overtly ripe nose of dark berries, earth, and animale nuances that are trimmed in notes of spice, in particular anise, sandalwood and exotic tea scents. There is superbly good detail and focused power to the large-scaled flavors that also possess an outstanding concentration of structure buffering dry extract that imparts a sappy texture to the intensely mineral-driven and explosively long finish. This is a youthfully austere example of the genre that is presently quite compact and linear and thus will require at least a decade to flesh out and unwind but if you have the patience to wait it should be a great Chambertin in 20+ years. (Jan 2014)"
97 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "Rousseau's 2012 Chambertin towers out of the glass. Sophisticated, finessed yet also powerful to the core, the 2012 Chambertin captures a compelling range of expressions. Crushed flowers, sweet red berries, mint, leather and cedar meld into a huge core of fruit in a dramatic, powerful Chambertin that will require considerable bottle age to show the full breadth of its potential. Drink: 2027-2052. (Nov 2014)"
96+ points Stephen Tanzer (Vinous): " Healthy medium red. Reticent aromas of redcurrant, black cherry, raspberry and smoky minerality. Hugely concentrated and sweet, but in a distinctly cooler and less expressive style than the Clos de Bèze. Sappy, saline wine with an incredible whiplash of a finish that leaves the palate saturated. Showing more red fruits than black in the early going, this is still an infant. Drink: 2029-2047. (Nov 2014)"
96 points Neal Martin (Wine Advocate): "Tasted blind at the annual "Burgfest" tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Chambertin Grand Cru has a touch of mint on the nose, complementing the mixture of red and black fruit, a pastille-like purity developing with time. This is very charming and the oak is neatly folded into the fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, the acidity perfectly judged and lending the tension and poise one expects from a Chambertin. It does lose a little intensity in the glass but it's from such a high point it is neither here nor there. This is a wonderful Chambertin. Drink: 2018-2040. (Oct 2015)"
| Product SKU | 321997 |
| Producer | Rousseau |
| Country | France |
| Region | Burgundy |
| SubRegion | Côte de Nuits |
| Appellation | Gevrey-Chambertin |
| Varietal | Pinot Noir |
| Designation | Grand Cru |
| Vintage | 2012 |
| Size | 750ml |
| Color | Red |
| ABV | 13.5% |
| Ships To |
