Domaine Armand Rousseau was founded by Armand Rousseau, a wine broker based in Gevrey (
Burgundy) who, before World War I, had acquired some vine parcels, replanted them and sold the fruit in bulk to local merchants. In the 1930's, Rousseau decided to begin bottling his own wine, with which he quickly developed a small but loyal clientele. After his death in 1959, his son Charles Rousseau took over, expanding the estate by adding carefully selected parcels in top cru's of
Gevrey-Chambertin and
Morey-Saint-Denis. The domaine now includes a little over 15 hectares in total, including
3.77 hectares of Premier Cru and
8.51 hectare of Grand Cru vineyards. The vineyards are managed in a way that limits the yields as much as possible, by keeping the vines naturally old and pruning them very short, for example. A very selective harvest of
Pinot Noir grapes is followed by a long vatting process in stainless steel, a gentle pressing and ageing in fresh vats or oak barrels. The Pinot Noir wines of Armand Rousseau have become known for their signature style: a blend of elegance, density and smooth mouthfeel, with a touch of spice intermingling with otherwise pure fruit.
