1990 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos-Saint-Jacques
By Domaine Armand Rousseau
1990 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos-Saint-Jacques from Domaine Armand Rousseau, Burgundy
The 1990 vintage was an extraordinary year for the vineyards of Burgundy. Within this hallowed realm stands a beacon - the 1990 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos-Saint-Jacques from Domaine Armand Rousseau. This vintage serves as a testament to the expertise at Domaine Armand Rousseau, radiating a profound understanding of the terroir and climatic gifts of the season.
Defining Characteristics: Mastery Underlined by Nature's Grace
Let us travel back three decades to uncover the essence of a season that blessed Burgundy with opulence and balance. The wine, cultivated meticulously on the east-facing slopes of Clos-Saint-Jacques, benefited from an optimal microclimate. This contributed to a sumptuous ripeness and concentration which, even now, exhibits a vibrancy challenging the very notions of age.
Upon tasting, one is greeted by an orchestra of mature red fruits, dark cherries and a praiseworthy complexity thanks to tertiary notes of forest floor, mushroom and finely integrated leather and game nuances. Such inherent intricacy harmonises with the gentle tannins and vital acidity retained over time - an enduring spine that upholds the wine’s structural integrity magnificently.
An Epic Vintage: A Connoisseur’s Compendium
The 1990 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos-Saint-Jacques from Domaine Armand Rousseau possesses a celestial alignment of factors that will appeal to both fine wine aficionados and sagacious investors. With the renowned longevity characteristic of Rousseau's wines, its evolution in bottle continues gracefully, each passing epoch adding a new chapter to its storied existence.
Encased within this bottle is not merely wine but a relic – ripe for admiration or investment. It holds within its ruby depths reflections of favourable climatic conditions, expert vinification and the passing tides of time. Sparse in quantity yet abundant in superior crafting, this vintage remains one of the most compelling expositions of Bourgogne's splendour.
In conclusion, as each year progresses, the 1990 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos-Saint-Jacques increasingly proves itself as a venerable treasure within one's cellar or portfolio; not just an asset in fermentation but also an illustration of viticulture at its zenith.
Market price (GBP)
£23,940.00
12x75cl
Highest score
90
POP score
2394
Scores and tasting notes
The outstanding Gevrey-Chambertin-Clos St.-Jacques possesses a saturated deep ruby color, and an explosive nose of black fruits, spicy new oak, flowers, and truffles. In the mouth, the wine is dense, seductive, and ripe, with low acidity, glycerin, and alcohol in the finish, making it a voluptuous, opulent mouthful of chewy Pinot Noir. Drink it over the next decade. At the top level, Rousseau consistently produces three profound wines - Gevrey-Chambertin-Clos St.-Jacques (as good as most producer's grands crus), Chambertin-Clos de Beze, and Chambertin. That being said, I remain perplexed as to why Rousseau's other wines are so surprisingly light and fluid. While good, sometimes very good, they are markedly inferior to his top three wines. Never one to jump on the bandwagon for forward, super-ripe vintages, (he still believes 1983 is the finest vintage of the eighties), Rousseau is unpersuaded by the acclaim bestowed on 1990. Importer: Frederick Wildman, New York, NY.
Robert Parker Jr - The Wine Advocate, 22 October 1992