Rousseau Clos de Bèze is a blend of three plots that total 1.42ha. Cyrielle believes the wine shows better in its youth than Chambertin. Both wines, however, are vinified in the same way: destemmed, long maceration, gentle extraction and ageing in new François Frères barrels. The result is sublime: charming in its youth, with accessible, ripe notes of red and black fruits, spice, mineral and game, plus a velvety, dense texture that is firm but not forbidding. This has the substance to last fifty years if cellared well.

Equally subtle wood frames the even spicier if slightly riper nose that reflects a layered blend of red currant, violet, rose petal, earth and a whisper of exotic tea. The full-bodied if slightly less concentrated flavors also reflect an abundance of minerality on the firm, serious and equally well-balanced, youthfully austere and hugely long finale. I usually prefer one or the other [Chambertin] at this stage each year but in 2019, while the two wines are noticeably different, it's not clear which will ultimately be the more interesting. In sum, this is a choice but one where there is no wrong answer as this too is brilliant!

(95-97 points) Deeper-pitched and more carnal than the Chambertin, Rousseau's 2019 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru mingles aromas of cherries, cassis and raspberries with hints of Asian spices, incense, smoked tea, rich soil tones and grilled duck. Full-bodied, sumptuous and enveloping, it's bright and lively, with a fleshy core of concentrated fruit, succulent acids and powdery structuring tannins. Long and perfumed, this is a sensual Clos de Bèze in the making.- WK

Dense purple, very backward, crunchy white pepper inside some very brisk dark red fruit. This is a stunningly powerful wine without toppling into over ripeness. A little orange zest alongside a wealth of perfectly balanced dark red fruit. Just a little harder at the finish, which brought my score down a point or two.

96+ The Rousseau family’s Clos de Bèze is equally brilliant in 2019. The wine is always a touch more exotic out of the blocks than the Chambertin here and this is again the case in this vintage. The stunning nose soars from the glass in a blaze of sappy black cherries, black raspberries, black minerality, smoked meats, dark chocolate, cedary oak and a touch of black tea in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and impeccably balanced, with great depth at the core, superb complexity and mineral drive, firm, buried tannins and a long, vibrant and focused finish. A great wine by any measure.

(94+ points) The 2019 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has a little more concentration and what seems like more extraction on the nose than Faiveley's. Dark berry fruit, incense and veins of blue fruit emerge, perhaps needing just to dial up the delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and flavors of layered red fruit mixed with blood orange and a pinch of cinnamon. Impressive in its weight and density, this is a Clos-de-Bèze built for long term aging and the zestiness/energy should see it mature with style. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting. - By Neal Martin on December 2023