Armand Rousseau Dinner

An idea was being thrown around about pulling out some really special bottles of Rousseau for a focused dinner. The group was small, the wines were oh so fine, and the food was the perfect match.

Thanks to the entire staff at the Paris Club for rolling out the red carpet for us - especially Doug Psaltis, Ryan Arnold, and Alex Ageneau. The food and service were both perfect. We managed to snag a private room that looked out onto Hubbard St. (and witnessed a monsoon), that had lots of space to spread out. The perfect environment for the food, friends and wine.

These wines were served with the Paris Club's chilled seafood tower. Crabs, lobster tails, shrimp and oysters went REALLY well with Leflaive and Krug. Could have called it a night after this.

• 1981 Krug Champagne Clos du Mesnil 97 Points

  France, Champagne

  Another great showing for my birth year Krug CdM. May not have had the power and precision of the bottle I opened in April, but this was still damn fine chardonnay. Lovely aromas of beeswax, hazelnut, brioche, truffle and melon. The palate had those subtle oxidative notes that the previous bottle had which I found elegant. Great length and depth, too. No one would guess this is 32 years old.

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• 2001 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

  Had this alongside the seafood tower. Shellfish galore with some awesome Leflaive....a perfect combination. Had rich notes on the nose of flint, lemons, pears, and some richer tones of hazelnut. Just gorgeous balance and complexity on the palate with a real saline component that surprised me given the hearty aromas. A perfect pairing with crab legs and lobster tails.

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We had some awesome duck for our first course. Just killed it with two separate vintages of Chambertin.

• 2001 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru

  Incredibly young wine that packs a lot of potential. A dark fruit profile here with lots of spice, earth and floral notes on the nose. Sadly, the nose and palate were a bit shutdown. Did my best to hold this wine until the end of the night, but it never developed that rich pinot profile you're looking for. Hold for, well, a long time.

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• 1998 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru

  Far more character than the 2001 drank alongside. The vintage characteristics of 1998 were evident here with a bolder, richer fruit profile on the nose. Lots of cranberry, pomegranate, sous bois, and dusty florals were seamlessly woven together. The palate was certainly sweet, but had nice dirty red fruit notes, beautiful acidity and a real sense of class. This will only improve with age.

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The kitchen put together an amazing beef dish here. I believe they used aged ribeye cuts, and good lord it was just beefy perfection. This was served with two amazing Clos St. Jacques.

• 2001 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  Much like the 2001 Chambertin, this was somewhat quiet. The aromatics peaked towards the end of dinner with lots of rustic red fruits, underbrush, and dried floral notes. A really beautiful wine, but I would like to try this again in another 10 years. Feel like the added age would flesh out some of that wonderful fruits that's pent up in there.

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• 2000 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques 97 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  Super - star. We all know that 2000s are drinking well now, so it's not overly surprising that this just kicks ass. The aromas are sweet and deep. Lots of ripe cherry, tart cranberry and pomegranate. In addition to the red fruits, this had a lot of earthy notes, and subtle acid. The finesse on the palate was sublime, with layers and layers of flavors - this is the kind of pinot that we're all in search of. One of the finest red wines I've ever had.

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A mix of goodies were brought out after the beef. We had some black truffle grilled cheese, and a shepherd's pie that was rich, truffle-y, and incredibly good. I think we opened the Clos de la Roche for this portion of the meal.

The kitchen sent out a Tarte du Fromage with roasted figs for desert. We didn't any desert wines with us, so it was just more pinot.

• 1990 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Clos de la Roche 98 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

  This grew on me with time, which is scary given how amazing it was out of the bottle. It was all about rusticity here. The other Rousseau's were all spectacular, but this had a damp earth component that made it far more sexy and interesting. We all drink Burgundy because I think at our core we're intellectually curious, and this was one of those wine that really made me think. Just incredibly vibrancy and energy on the palate with layers and layers of fruits, spices, and earthy tones. Hard to ask for more.

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