Detailed and pure with plum, black cherry, a silky, rounded texture. Absolutely forgoes. Quite quiet alongside the other two Beze. So sophisticated.
Detailed and pure with plum, black cherry, a silky, rounded texture. Absolutely forgoes. Quite quiet alongside the other two Beze. So sophisticated.
May 9th, 2024
I have long adored the 1993 Red Burgundies. Yes, the wines were painfully austere and unyielding in the early going. Even so, in many cases, the wines also seemed to have terrific fruit concentration. That is certainly the case with Rousseau’s Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. I am sure the staff at 67 freaked out when they saw this wine on my list: the 1993 Bèze is nearly impossible to find. Up until the 11th hour, it looked like we might have to find a substitute, until a source surfaced at the very last minute. The day before, I was at lunch with a few mates (apologies for the Anglicism, Neal is starting to influence me) at The Ledbury. “You know the 1993 Rousseau Bèze bottles in your tasting tomorrow," Jon chided me. “They are from my cellar! I bought them on release.”
Well, the 1993 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze is indeed sublime. The most beguiling and alluring wine of the evening, the Bèze seems to answer questions with more questions as it draws us in with its stunning beauty. This is what great, profound Burgundy is all about. What else is left to say on a night in which so many truly epic wines are opened side by side? Not much. I will add that conventional wisdom dictates that the presumably more elegant Burgundy be tasted before the bigger Bordeaux, because, as that line of thinking goes, bigger wines are supposed to overwhelm more elegant wines. I think that is all a bunch of nonsense, and so I intentionally served the Rousseau after the Latour. Thankfully, that decision is more than vindicated by how the wines show. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, May 2018)
I have long adored the 1993 Red Burgundies. Yes, the wines were painfully austere and unyielding in the early going. Even so, in many cases, the wines also seemed to have terrific fruit concentration. That is certainly the case with Rousseau’s Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. I am sure the staff at 67 freaked out when they saw this wine on my list: the 1993 Bèze is nearly impossible to find. Up until the 11th hour, it looked like we might have to find a substitute, until a source surfaced at the very last minute. The day before, I was at lunch with a few mates (apologies for the Anglicism, Neal is starting to influence me) at The Ledbury. “You know the 1993 Rousseau Bèze bottles in your tasting tomorrow," Jon chided me. “They are from my cellar! I bought them on release.”
Well, the 1993 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze is indeed sublime. The most beguiling and alluring wine of the evening, the Bèze seems to answer questions with more questions as it draws us in with its stunning beauty. This is what great, profound Burgundy is all about. What else is left to say on a night in which so many truly epic wines are opened side by side? Not much. I will add that conventional wisdom dictates that the presumably more elegant Burgundy be tasted before the bigger Bordeaux, because, as that line of thinking goes, bigger wines are supposed to overwhelm more elegant wines. I think that is all a bunch of nonsense, and so I intentionally served the Rousseau after the Latour. Thankfully, that decision is more than vindicated by how the wines show. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, May 2018)
Jun 5th, 2018
Gevrey-Chambertin, Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, France
