1988 Chambertin Grand Cru

This tasting of Rousseau’s Chambertin spanned eleven vintages back to 1988. As so often happens with Burgundy, there were a few surprises. In this case, those surprises came in the form of several wines that were far more expressive and rewarding than the pedigree of their vintages might have suggested. With wine, but especially with Burgundy, it often pays to buy the producer first and the vintage second.

It is always fascinating to taste Rousseau’s Chambertin-Clos de Bèze and Chambertin side-by-side, as they are flagship wines for the domaine and also reference points for Burgundy more broadly. These eight wines set the stage for an animated discussion of terroir, vintages and a handful of other subjects that are near and dear to the hearts of Burgundy lovers.

My favorite of the four vintages in this tasting was 1991. “Ninety ninety-one was a bit of a forgotten vintage at the time,” Rousseau explained. “It came after 1988, 1989 and 1990, all of which were strong. Perhaps journalists thought Burgundy couldn’t possibly have four excellent vintages in a row.” I also liked the 1988s quite a bit, although in my view, the wines are ready drink and offer little upside for improvement at this stage because the fruit is starting to dry out. The 2000s were both quite expressive, although without the visceral thrill of the very best years. Admittedly, that is a very high bar. In any other setting, Rousseau’s 2000s would have probably stolen the show. The only vintage that was somewhat disappointing was 2011. I liked the wines more from barrel and bottle a few years ago, enough to buy them. On this afternoon, though, the two 2011s were quite closed, which is not surprising for Burgundies of this pedigree tasted in their adolescence, but I also picked up on slightly vegetal notes that neither wine showed in their youth. It will be interesting to see how the 2011s behave over the coming years and decades.