1999 - Chambertin Grand Cru, Armand Rousseau

The 1999 Chambertin Grand Cru has a multi-faceted bouquet, a mélange of red and black fruit, sous-bois, desiccated orange peel and wilted rose petals. It simply blossoms in the glass, gaining complexity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, plenty of lift and energy, full of breeding from start to finish. Gentle grip, more youthful than the 1996 yet with the same stature, there is wonderful persistence. Unlike the 1996, this 1999 Chambertin is clearly still in the ascendency, though the bottle drunk in Hong Kong was marginally superior. Tasted at the Rousseau Chambertin vertical at La Vienne.