Rousseau dinner at Jade Palace

Great night at Jade Palace who were doing Rousseau week with very reasonable mark-ups. Brought some wines to share that I thought might give the Rousseaus a run for their money at a lower price point, and it turned out that it wasn't easy to pick out the Rousseaus at all. I wasn't sure of the identity of the CSJ, but I said that by far there was a standout wine in the mix. Was willing it not to be the CSJ but unfortunately it was. WOTN for the others was more close-run, with the Rossignol-Trapet doing well in particular.

• 2012 Domaine Rossignol Trapet Chapelle-Chambertin 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru

  Much better showing than the last time round. Perfumed nose with dark red fruit, brambly and earthy coffee notes on the palate that showed good Gevrey typicity. Had a GC stature compared to the rest - more stuffing and impressive length but not quite the delineation of the best producers.

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• 2018 Claude Dugat Gevrey-Chambertin 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  Stylistically very similar to the '19 Rousseau Clos du Château. Candied, jammy fruit that needs more time to integrate. Better with air so can see the potential the previous tasters mentioned.

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• 2015 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Vosne-Romanée 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée

  Easy to pick this out as the outlier with the floral, five-spiced laden perfume. Consistent with my previous impression, very pleasurable without being too complex. Superb nose but lacked the depth of the better plots tonight despite my affection for wines of this ilk.

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• 2017 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques 96 Points

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

  When blinded, I said that this was the standout wine by far and I hoped that it wouldn't be the Rousseau CSJ. Gorgeous, lifted nose of fresh berries. Had a sensual, silky palate, I don't use minerality for reds often but that was present in spades here. Very much an iron fist in a velvet glove with incredible depth, when I was tasting the wine it kept giving and uncovering additional layers of dark cherry fruit. So seamless and truly a wish-you-were-here sort of wine. A bucket-list wine that lived up to expectations and more.

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• 2018 Domaine Marc Roy Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvée Alexandrine 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  Have had mixed experiences with this producer but this was a very good showing. Had the 2018 density but still very classically built with savoury, meaty notes. Superb concentration of fruit that some including myself thought that this might have been the Rousseau!

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• 2014 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques Domaine Louis Jadot 92 Points

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

  Very Jadot CSJ, was easy to pick out. Lovely pure red fruit with some Gevrey iron notes. Power without weight, albeit a little thin and dilute in this vintage.

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• 2019 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Château 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  Stylistically very similar to the '18 Claude Dugat, but with silkier fruit. Others liked this more than I did - not a fan of the Rhone-like characteristics from the warm vintage here.

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Some generous extras from our table and the wine swap with another table.

• 2012 E. Guigal Condrieu La Doriane 85 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu

  Rich, aromatic white with zero acidity. Textbook white northern Rhone (not a good thing). Too much butterscotch and honey notes for me.

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• 2017 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

  Generous extra but unfortunately not ready for primetime. Didn't like the distracting vanilla and nutty notes, but had an impressive weight and structure. Just needs more time to integrate the oak.

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• 2018 Henri Germain et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Poruzots 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru

  Superb nose that made it obvious that this was a top maker. Guessed Puligny because of the citrus, linear fruit. Classic, old-school white Burgundy without any reduction. Nicely proportioned and good to go now.

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• 2020 Cloudburst Chardonnay 93 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Wow thought this was a Puligny from a serious maker. Very Burgundian, ripe citrus fruit with impressive density. Superb acidity despite the large frame. Still young but with immense potential.

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• 2015 Coche-Dury Bourgogne-Aligoté 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne-Aligoté

  My first Coche and wasn't very impressed when I was blinded with this. Ripe but shrill acidity, thought it wasn't a Chardonnay which was as far as I could get at this point of the tasting.

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• 2019 Charles Lachaux Côte de Nuits Villages Aux Montagnes 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Côte de Nuits Villages

  Made in a new-school, candied red-fruited style. Drank like a natural Beaujolais.

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• 2018 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Château 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  Better than the '19. Had the power and density from the vintage, firm tannins but also a balance and restraint rarely seen in '18s. From this data point, Rousseau managed the vintage superbly.

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• 2019 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  Slightly candied fruit but the spice and coffee notes helped to rein the wine in. Better than '19 Clos du Château that we had at our table but still a step below the '18 Clos du Château. In general I felt that the straight village was made in a more serious manner than the Clos du Château.

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