Rousseau's two finest wines should come as no surprise. The 1991 Chambertin-Clos de Beze (from yields of only 22 hectoliters per hectare) reveals a black/purple color. The nose offers a dazzling display of black-raspberries and black-cherries intermingled with scents of minerals, flowers, and toasty new oak. The wine possesses great intensity and richness, full body, a magnificent layered texture, and oodles of sweet, ripe fruit in the long, moderately tannic finish. Drink it between 1997-2015.
Rousseau, one of the reference points for great burgundy, appears to have made 1991s that are even richer and more profound than his 1990s. His production was one-half of normal, so these wines will be difficult to find. Rousseau normally excels with his three top cuvees - Gevrey-Chambertin-Clos St.-Jacques, Chambertin-Clos de Beze, and Chambertin, but the lower level wines often lack concentration and intensity. That is not the case in 1991. Kudos to Rousseau for producing his finest portfolio of wines in over two decades!
Importer: Frederick Wildman & Co., New York, NY.