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| 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 13th.
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".
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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.
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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 1970s.
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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.
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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.
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