Armand Rousseau Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2016

Domaine Armand Rousseau was founded in the early 20th century by Armand Rousseau, who inherited several vineyard plots in Gevrey-Chambertin. Armand Rousseau comes from a family of landowners who also cultivated grapes and sold wine. His marriage in 1909 allowed him to expand the vineyards, during which time he purchased plots of land with buildings, including a house, cellars, and a winery, located in the oldest part of the village, near a 13th-century church. After the first sales of his own wine to local wholesalers, he began acquiring new vineyards in Charmes-Chambertin in 1919, Clos de la Roche and Chambertin in 1920 and 1921. Then Armand decided to start bottling his most prestigious wines himself and selling them directly to clients, mainly restaurants and connoisseurs, following the wise advice of Raymond Boudot, a good friend and founder of the renowned magazine Revue des Vins de France. Over the years, Armand Rousseau continued to expand his Domaine, acquiring more Grand Cru plots, classified in 1935 when the National Committee for Appellations of Origin was established. The Mazis-Chambertin vineyards were purchased in 1937, Chambertin in 1943 and 1956. In 1954, Armand's son, Charles, bought a vineyard in Clos Saint-Jacques. Charles joined his father after graduating from university, where he studied oenology. In 1959, after the death of Armand Rousseau, Charles Rousseau took over the Domaine, which spans 6 hectares, and continued to expand it, thanks to his extensive knowledge of oenology and the acquisition of new vineyards, mainly of Grand Cru class. Fluent in English and German, Charles decided to focus on exports, starting with the USA, where his father had already begun selling his wines immediately after the repeal of Prohibition in the 1930s, and he began developing exports first to the UK, Germany, Switzerland, and soon to all European countries, then to Canada, Austria, New Zealand, and finally to Asia in the 1970s. In 1982, Charles was joined by his son, Eric, who also studied oenology at the university in Dijon. Eric focused on vineyard work and the vinification process, based on traditional winemaking principles. From 1993 to 2005, Corinne, Charles's eldest daughter, after many years of professional experience in export abroad and in France, returned to the Domaine, obtaining a diploma in oenology in 2005, and took on commercial matters. Currently, Eric heads the Domaine. Since 2006, he has been assisted by Brigitte, Charles's youngest daughter. Currently, the vineyards of Domaine Armand Rousseau cover more than 14 hectares, of which 2.21 hectares are Village Appellation, 3.47 hectares are Premier Cru, and 8.41 hectares are Grand Cru, located in the communes of Gevrey-Chambertin and Morey-Saint-Denis. The Domaine produces about 65,000 bottles annually, with 80% of the production exported to over 30 countries.