This is one of Burgundy’s greatest domaines because of its history, its prestigious vineyards and the quality of its wines. The Domaine has been family-run ever since its inception in the early 20th century. The original Armand Rousseau was one of the first producers to estate bottle his own wines in the 1930s. By acquiring new plots of grands crus and other noble old vines, it has steadily increased its enviable status in the Gevrey-Chambertin commune.
Armand passed away unexpectedly in 1959 and his son Charles, having been trained as a lawyer, had joined his father in 1945 after abandoning his legal aspirations to focus on the domaine. Charles’ son Eric joined the team in 1982 and Armand’s great-granddaughter Cyrielle, who came to South Africa in 2017, started working for the domaine in 2012. This is a great example of a domaine, with as rich a history as this one, that has remained within the family with the baton being passed down from one generation to the next.
Domaine Armand Rousseau combines more modern techniques such as green harvesting, leaf removal and mechanical tillage with organic viticulture and minimal intervention in the cellar. The resultant wines are elegant and richly layered with a genuine expression of terroir and Armand Rousseau’s unique fingerprint. They offer a refreshing lack of pretence, even though this is some of the rarest wine on the planet. There is no doubt about this being one of the finest addresses in all of Burgundy.
