Domaine Armand Rousseau, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, Clos Saint-Jacques 2008

An impressive wine. Fullish body. Rich, classy and concentrated. Very lovely fruit. Lots of depth. Very very long and lovely.

The 2008 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St.-Jacques 1er Cru is an absolute joy to behold and in terms of drinking now a sheer pleasure, surpasses both the 1996 and 2005 tasted the previous day. It bursts with pixelated red cherry and strawberry fruit on the nose, laced with minerals and light citrus scents. The palate is powerful and certainly not dense. Yet it possesses disarming transparency and fabulous precision, weightless yet paradoxically intense with a long tail on the finish. It is more a Clos Saint-Jacques of texture and feeling than obvious fruit descriptors. Wonderful. Tasted at Fook Lam Moon in Hong Kong.

The 2008 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques is an unusually warm, pliant 2008. The use of 80% new barrels here undoubtedly contributes to the wine’s open, generous expression of fruit. The Clos St. Jacques is a beautiful wine, even at this early stage. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2038.