2018 Domaine Armand Rousseau, Chambertin Grand Cru

The 2018 Chambertin Grand Cru has a very intense, brilliantly-defined bouquet with laser-like precision, incredibly focused and perfectly integrated oak. Less generous than Bichot's Chambertin at the moment though - this is biding its time. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, insistent grip and plenty of freshness. Maybe just a little more confit in style than others. Still, a fabulous Chambertin that gains clarity and precision in the glass. Effortless. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting.

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.

This grand cru digests the oak more quickly than does Clos de Bèze, apparently. Barrel sample. A hint of vanilla sweetness on the fragrant dark fruit here. All in harmony but less singular than the Clos St-Jacques or the Ruchottes. Dark with a mineral finesse that is reflected on the palate in dry tannins and a touch of dark chocolate from the oak. But the oak has done nothing to hide the elegance here. (JH)