A Gevrey-Chambertin en Bourgogne : domaine Armand Rousseau

The Domain was started at the beginning of the century by Armand Rousseau who, at his majority, inherited several plots of vineyards in Gevrey Chambertin. Armand Rousseau was issued from a family of small landowners, who were mainly vine growers, coopers and local wine merchants.
His wedding in 1909 allows him to increase the superficy of his vineyards and at the same time to acquire the present Domain premises with the living house, the storing places, the cellars and the winery, situated in the oldest part of the village, near the 13^th. Century church. Armand Rousseau first sells his wines in bulk to local wholesalers. Then very rapidly, he buys new vineyards such as CHARMES CHAMBERTIN in 1919, CLOS DE LA ROCHE and CHAMBERTIN in 1920 and 1921 and he decides to bottle himself his most prestigious wines and sell them directly to consumers, particularly to restaurants and connoisseurs, wisely advised by Raymond Baudoin, a great friend of his and the founder of the "Revue des Vins de France".
As years go by, Armand Rousseau continues to enlarge his Domain with the purchase of more Grands Crus, classified as such in 1935 when the "Institut des Appellations d'Origine Contrôlée" was created, that is, MAZY CHAMBERTIN in 1937, MAZOYERES CHAMBERTIN (now appearing under the appellation of CHARMES CHAMBERTIN) in 1940, CHAMBERTIN in 1943 and 1956. The CLOS SAINT JACQUES is bought in 1954 in his son Charles's name who, after studying law and then oenology in Dijon University, joins his father in 1945.

In 1959, after Armand Rousseau's death in a car accident on his way back from hunting, Charles Rousseau is at the head of a Domain of 6 ha which he will continue developing rapidly thanks to his great knowledge in oenology, and his experience, by acquiring new vineyards, especially in "Grands Crus" areas.

Speaking fluently English and German, he decides to turn principally towards export, and, after the USA where his father had already started to sell his wines right after prohibition at the end of the 30's, he develops the exchanges first with Great-Britain, Germany, Switzerland, soon afterwards to all European countries, then to Canada, Australia, New-Zealand, Brazil, etc. and lastly Asia in the 1970’s.

During all these years, while maintaining traditional modes of viticulture and vinification, Charles Rousseau acquires more modern and better performing equipments.

At the beginning of the 1980's, two vaulted cellars are dug in order to increase the storing capacity necessary to the acquisition of the new vineyards.

At the same time, his son Eric, after secondary studies in the Lycée Agricole et Viticole of Macon Davayé and one year specializing in Oenology in Dijon University, joins him to take care more especially of the vineyards and the vinification.

From 1993 to 2005, Corinne, Charles's elder daughter, after many years of professional experience in export abroad and in France, comes back to the Domain, gets the same year a diploma in Oenology, and in her turn takes in charge the commercial relationship with customers.

New works are effected during 1996 summer with the enlargement of the winery, already fully equipped with open stainless steel vats, to allow the use of an automatic "pigeage" system, and at the same time, a new cellar is built for the storing of the bottles.

During the 1996 summer, the winery, already fully equipped of stainless steel vats, is enlarged for the use of a double pneumatic "pigeage" equipment. That same year is dug a second cellar for the aging of wine in bottles.

In 1999 and 2001, two new equipments are acquired: a pneumatic press and a destemmer to allow an even more delicate manipulation of the grapes without crushing the berries.

The winery has been renovated again in 2002 and 2004, with the addition of an air-conditioning equipment necessary to vinify our grapes in the best conditions, then we had the floor resin-covered and the walls repainted in a nice creme-rapsberry colour for better hygiene and easier cleaning.

For the vineyards we acquired a new 'enjambeur', this high-wheel tractor, in 2004 winter, which adds to the two others we already had. In fact, each vineyard is deeply ploughed several times a year and it improves daily work. Wwe also had a part of our Chambertin ploughed with a horse because of the steep slope in this area.