Domaine Armand Rousseau
Encyclopedia
Domaine Armand Rousseau is a French
wine grower
and producer. It is based in Gevrey-Chambertin
, in the Côte de Nuits
wine-growing region of Burgundy
, France.
and vignerons. He inherited several vineyard plots and the current domaine building in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin as part of his wedding in 1909.
After rapid expansion in vineyard holdings, with purchases in Charmes-Chambertin
, Clos de la Roche
and Chambertin
in the late 1910s and 1920s, the domaine began to bottle and sell its own wine in the 1930s after advice given by Raymond Baudoin, founder of the La Revue du vin de France
. Armand Rousseau was among the first few producers to bottle his own wine in Burgundy, with the majority of other growers in the region selling their wines to négociant
businesses to bottle and sell. Rousseau was also a pioneer within Burgundy in selling his wine to the United States market after the end of prohibition
in the mid to late 1930s.
Further vineyard acquisitions were made with plots purchased in Mazis Chambertin in 1937, Mazoyeres-Chambertin
in 1940 and Clos Saint Jacques in 1954 as well as two additional plots in the Chambertin vineyard in 1943 and 1956.
Charles Rousseau, born in 1923, started working at his father's estate in 1946. Charles had studied law followed by oenology
at The University of Dijon
. His father Armand was killed in a car accident in 1959 and Charles took over as the sole winemaker.
At the time of Charles taking over the estate, Domaine Rousseau held 6.5 hectares of vineyards. Expansion continued with plots in Clos de Bèze purchased in 1961, Clos de la Roche in 1965 and 1975, additional plots of Chambertin in 1968 and 1983 as well as the entire Clos des Ruchottes
vineyard in 1978. Current vineyard holdings stand at just under 14 hectares.
Charles Rousseau's son Eric Rousseau is the current winemaker, with some input still from Charles as well as involvement on the commercial side from his daughters Corinne and Brigitte.
grape. The average production is 65,000 bottles per vintage and 90% of production is exported to over 30 countries worldwide.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
wine grower
Winemaking
Winemaking, or vinification, is the production of wine, starting with selection of the grapes or other produce and ending with bottling the finished wine. Although most wine is made from grapes, it may also be made from other fruit or non-toxic plant material...
and producer. It is based in Gevrey-Chambertin
Gevrey-Chambertin
Gevrey-Chambertin is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department of France in the Bourgogne region in eastern France.It lies 15 km South of Dijon. This touristic, winemaking village is situated on the Route des Grands Crus in the Côte de Nuits...
, in the Côte de Nuits
Côte de Nuits
The Côte de Nuits is a French wine region located in the northern part of the Côte d'Or, the limestone ridge that is at the heart of the Burgundy wine region. It extends from Dijon to just south of Nuits-Saint-Georges, which gives its name to the district and is the regional center...
wine-growing region of Burgundy
Burgundy wine
Burgundy wine is wine made in the Burgundy region in eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône River, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here - those commonly referred to as "Burgundies" - are red wines made from Pinot Noir grapes or white wines made from...
, France.
History
Armand Rousseau was born in 1884 to a family heavily involved in the wine industry as merchants, coopersCooper (profession)
Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden staved vessels of a conical form, of greater length than breadth, bound together with hoops and possessing flat ends or heads...
and vignerons. He inherited several vineyard plots and the current domaine building in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin as part of his wedding in 1909.
After rapid expansion in vineyard holdings, with purchases in Charmes-Chambertin
Charmes-Chambertin
Charmes-Chambertin is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety...
, Clos de la Roche
Clos de la Roche
Clos de la Roche is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. It is situated in the commune of Morey-Saint-Denis in the Côte-d'Or département...
and Chambertin
Chambertin
Chambertin is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. Chambertin is located within the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin, and it is situated approximately in the centre of a group of...
in the late 1910s and 1920s, the domaine began to bottle and sell its own wine in the 1930s after advice given by Raymond Baudoin, founder of the La Revue du vin de France
La Revue du vin de France
La Revue du vin de France is a French magazine on wine published monthly. The publication has been described by Jancis Robinson as "France's only serious wine magazine"....
. Armand Rousseau was among the first few producers to bottle his own wine in Burgundy, with the majority of other growers in the region selling their wines to négociant
Négociant
A négociant is the French term for a wine merchant who assembles the produce of smaller growers and winemakers and sells the result under its own name....
businesses to bottle and sell. Rousseau was also a pioneer within Burgundy in selling his wine to the United States market after the end of prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
in the mid to late 1930s.
Further vineyard acquisitions were made with plots purchased in Mazis Chambertin in 1937, Mazoyeres-Chambertin
Mazoyères-Chambertin
Mazoyères-Chambertin is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. Mazoyères-Chambertin is located within the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin. It is situated below the Route des Grands...
in 1940 and Clos Saint Jacques in 1954 as well as two additional plots in the Chambertin vineyard in 1943 and 1956.
Charles Rousseau, born in 1923, started working at his father's estate in 1946. Charles had studied law followed by oenology
Oenology
Oenology,[p] œnology , or enology is the science and study of all aspects of wine and winemaking except vine-growing and grape-harvesting, which is a subfield called viticulture. “Viticulture & oenology” is a common designation for training programmes and research centres that include both the...
at The University of Dijon
University of Burgundy
The University of Burgundy is a university located in Dijon, France.The University of Burgundy is situated on a large campus called Campus Montmuzard, 15 minutes by bus from the City Centre...
. His father Armand was killed in a car accident in 1959 and Charles took over as the sole winemaker.
At the time of Charles taking over the estate, Domaine Rousseau held 6.5 hectares of vineyards. Expansion continued with plots in Clos de Bèze purchased in 1961, Clos de la Roche in 1965 and 1975, additional plots of Chambertin in 1968 and 1983 as well as the entire Clos des Ruchottes
Ruchottes-Chambertin
Ruchottes-Chambertin is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. Ruchottes-Chambertin is located within the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin...
vineyard in 1978. Current vineyard holdings stand at just under 14 hectares.
Charles Rousseau's son Eric Rousseau is the current winemaker, with some input still from Charles as well as involvement on the commercial side from his daughters Corinne and Brigitte.
Wines
Domaine Rousseau owns sections of and makes wines from many renowned Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards. All the wines are made entirely from the Pinot noirPinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
grape. The average production is 65,000 bottles per vintage and 90% of production is exported to over 30 countries worldwide.
| Vineyard Name | Cru | Hectares | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chambertin Chambertin Chambertin is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. Chambertin is located within the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin, and it is situated approximately in the centre of a group of... |
Grand Cru | 2.55 | |
| Clos de Bèze | Grand Cru | 1.42 | |
| Clos des Ruchottes Ruchottes-Chambertin Ruchottes-Chambertin is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. Ruchottes-Chambertin is located within the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin... |
Grand Cru | 1.06 | A Monopole Monopole (wine) A monopole is an area controlled by a single winery and can be as small as a lieu-dit or as large as an entire appellation d'origine contrôlée, such as Bordeaux or Champagne. Frequently this is mentioned on the label and it is rare for only one winery to produce all the wine from an area... , forming one-third of Ruchottes-Chambertin |
| Mazis Chambertin | Grand Cru | 0.53 | |
| Charmes-Chambertin Charmes-Chambertin Charmes-Chambertin is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety... |
Grand Cru | 0.45 | Blended together with Mazoyères-Chambertin and labeled Charmes-Chambertin. |
| Mazoyères-Chambertin Mazoyères-Chambertin Mazoyères-Chambertin is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. Mazoyères-Chambertin is located within the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin. It is situated below the Route des Grands... |
Grand Cru | 0.92 | Production blended with the Charmes-Chambertin and labeled as such. |
| Clos de la Roche Clos de la Roche Clos de la Roche is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. It is situated in the commune of Morey-Saint-Denis in the Côte-d'Or département... |
Grand Cru | 1.48 | |
| Clos St-Jacques | Premier Cru | 2.21 | |
| Cazetiers | Premier Cru | 0.75 | |
| Lavaux Saint-Jacques | Premier Cru | 0.50 | |
| Gevrey-Chambertin | Village | 2.26 |