A. Rousseau Question

Jorge_Henriquez · February 13, 2009, 4:28pm

Burg-heads, help me understand this:

Why the different labels in Rousseau’s wines? They are all the same domaine no? I thought at first he had a different label for each bottling but then noticed that the Charmes-Chambertin & CdlR are the same. What’s the explanation?

zachary_l_a_n_g · February 13, 2009, 4:40pm

Jorge, i have a few and was wondering the same thing…as an aside, I love the chambertin label!

John_Liotta · February 14, 2009, 4:05am

Jorge, none of the bottles really have the same label if you look closely. Everything is labeled for “place.” So:

Gevrey-Chambertin- A wine wine from the Gevrey Chambertin Village
Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru- Which comes from two places, Lavaux St. jacques and Les Cazetiers
These two labels are nearly identical, save the 1er Cru designation

Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques- This is from 2.22ha slice of heaven. My favorite for some reason.
The label shows the vineyard.

Mazi-Chambertin Grand Cru- only .53ha btw
Actually looks similar to the Gevrey labels, but I think the bottles are fatter?
Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru- looks like the Mazi label
Clos de la Roche- looks like the last two

Ruchottes-Chambertin Clos de Ruchottes (Monopole)- Kinda like the Clos St. Jacques label, i.e. picture of the vineyard

Chambertin- Obviously you posted a pic of this one. It’s really good.

Chambertin Clos de Beze- looks a lot like the other labels, like Mazi, etc.

Don’t know if that helped. For some reason I want to say that the Village Gevrey is in a slightly smaller bottle but I could be wrong. But everything is the same producer etc.

Thomas_DeBiase · February 18, 2009, 5:28am

Slice of heaven is the best of description of Clos St. Jacques I have ever read!

Thomas DeBiase
winemaker-DeBiase Wines

Daniel_Posner · February 18, 2009, 3:12pm

Why do you care?

Ed_Kurtzman · February 18, 2009, 3:34pm

All the wines are definitely made at their small domain in Gevrey. I’ve been there a couple times, one year we barrel tasted, the other year Charles felt the wines weren’t ready to taste.

I’ve always felt that these are some of the nicest labels anywhere.

Jorge_Henriquez · February 18, 2009, 3:46pm

In case I ever strike it rich, Big Boy. [1928_middle_finger.gif]

Why do you care that I care?

John_Liotta · February 18, 2009, 9:12pm

Drank some great Rousseau with Bowden last night.

Michael_Bowden · February 19, 2009, 12:57am

1988 Clos de la Roche
1990 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Clos Saint Jacques
2002 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Clos Saint Jacques

To be exact.

scott_c · August 1, 2013, 2:35am

How come no one had a good answer to this question? I’ve always been curious myself. I can’t think of many (any?) other producers who use a completely different label for different vineyards.

paul_hanna · August 1, 2013, 3:10am

The Chambertin label is probably my favorite of any wine label…

paulbortin · August 1, 2013, 3:24am

SQN

CFu · August 1, 2013, 6:45am

Cause he can

Peter_Chiu · August 1, 2013, 11:42am

Don’t know if that helped. For some reason I want to say that the Village Gevrey is in a slightly smaller bottle but I could be wrong. But everything is the same producer etc.

I do not know about Gevrey village bottle being slightly smaller but I believe their Grands Echezeaux bottle is slight bigger their Echezeaux. That being said…I could be wrong

Stuart_BeauneHead_Niemtzow · August 1, 2013, 4:05pm

Peter??? Grands-Echezaux?

I once discussed this with Charles Rousseau, who seemed to think of each holding as his children…ie, he thought of all of them individually. I know he wanted to use those big, fat-bottomed , old fashioned Burgundy bottles for what he considered his top 3 wines…(he was/is especially enamored of his Clos ST. Jacques, which I feel he’s overrated vis a vis his “lesser grand crus”; it was his first purchase himself, which , I think is the reason.) I’m not sure what more there is to say, though…the labels/bottles are certainly different…as is his spelling of Mazy (which has different spellings). Charles Rousseau was/is a very interesting/enlightened guy…who, I think, was/is a bit of a detail and control freak. I never even saw his son, Eric, on many visits to the estate over the years…and many people didn’t even know Eric existed, though they knew his daugther, Corrine.

Peter_Chiu · August 1, 2013, 5:10pm

Stuart - I am trying to be funny.

Guess most people know Rousseau does not make Grands Echezeaxu and Echezeaux.

That being said, if you measure carefully the size of a DRC G-Ech bottle it is indeed slightly bigger their Ech

Stuart_BeauneHead_Niemtzow · August 1, 2013, 6:00pm

won’t happen, Peter…as I’ve never bought and am not likely to buy DRC or Leroy.

Didn’t know you were trying to be funny. Keep trying!

John_Morris · August 1, 2013, 6:16pm

How about Guigal’s Cote Roties:

John_Morris · August 1, 2013, 6:22pm

Or Roagna:

Stuart_BeauneHead_Niemtzow · August 1, 2013, 6:24pm

You know your labels, John.