Gevrey-Chambertin 2001
Medium to medium-full body. Lovely fruit. Very poised. Very calm. Harmonious. The tannins have just a slight dark edge to them. But this aids the grip. Long and classy. Very good. From 2006/2007.

Gevrey-Chambertin, Lavaux-Saint-Jacques 2001
Deliciously ripe and succulent. But no means a monster. Softer than most. Plump. Medium to medium-full bodied. Very elegant. Very seductive. From 2007.

Gevrey-Chambertin, Les Cazetiers 2001
Rather better grip and depth here. Medium-full body. Just as seductive because the fruit is splendidly lush and ripe. But better acidity. More structure. And more dimension. Fine. From 2008.

Charmes-Chambertin 2001
Once again very ripe and succulent. Medium-full body. Very well covered tannins. Very good acidity. Not that concentrated or intense, but clean, pure, long and fine. From 2008.

Mazis-Chambertin 2001
Good colour. Altogether more serious. Much better grip and definition. Medium-full body. Rich. Very good acidity. Very pure fruit again. Very long, lovely finish. Fine plus. From 2009.

Clos de la Roche 2001
This is a little dilute and simple. Decent fruit. But a lack of grip and staying power. Pretty but forward. Another barrel was fresher and better. But not a great deal different. From 2005/2006.

Ruchottes-Chambertin, Clos Des Ruchottes 2001
This is also a little weedy. It lacks grip. Slightly astringent. From 2005.

Gevrey-Chambertin, Clos Saint-Jacques 2001
This is the weakest of the Clos Saint-Jacques this year. Good fruit but a lack of depth and concentration. It would have been a decent wine at village level. Quite fat. This was vintaged last. Only quite good plus for this premier cru. From 2006/2007.

Chambertin Clos de Bèze 2001
This is quite different. Good colour. Full bodied, fresh, concentrated and aristocratic. Very good grip. Lots of vigour. Absolutely what it should be. Very lovely, long finish. Very fine plus. From 2011.

Chambertin 2001
No problem with this either. More substance, more tannin, more closed than the Clos de Bèze. Super concentrated. Very, very lovely fruit. Full bodied. Splendid grip and depth. This is very fine indeed. From 2015.

2001 Gevrey-Chambertin
Softly fragrant, richly fruited and nicely complex aromas waft from the glass followed by easy, forward, relatively fine flavors with more earth nuances and a sappy, mouth coating finish. This is quite persistent if not especially dense and delivers enough flavor authority to be interesting. 85-87. 2006-11.

2001 Gevrey-Chambertin "Les Cazetiers"
Decidedly more elegant with a dark fruit and damp earth nose and flavors that display more weight, depth, power and structure than the villages with a lovely, complex and long finish. The Gevrey earth influence is quite pungent and the overall style of this is refined rather than muscular. 87-89. 2007-14.

2001 Gevrey-Chambertin "Lavaut St. Jacques"
A completely different expression as the aromatic profile here is more elegant still with exuberant yet fine notes of small red fruits. The flavors however are substantially lighter and though they are more precise, purer and exceedingly pretty with a subtle minerality, this lacks a bit of mid-palate punch. If it can add weight before the mise, my score may be conservative. 86-88. 2006-12.

2001 Charmes-Chambertin
Precocious, softly fragrant red pinot fruit aromas marry seamlessly with medium weight, round, nicely precise but at this point relatively simple flavors that offer only marginally more size and weight than the two 1er though this does deliver sneaky persistence. If this adds complexity with bottle age, it should merit the upper end of the range. 87-89. 2007-14.

2001 Mazis-Chambertin
This too is quite soft with the classic sauvage and animale notes and slightly bigger, weightier flavors that deliver more flavor authority and punch if not as much elegance. Nicely concentrated with buried tannins and good length plus lovely finishing harmony. 88-91. 2009-15.

2001 Clos de la Roche
A small notch up in size and weight but there is much more beguiling complexity plus more structure, especially on the earthy, rich, persistent and palate staining finish. I especially like the acid-fruit balance here as there is plenty of mid-palate sap to buffer the linear, precise and intense flavors that are supported by prominent yet ripe tannins. This may be the best vintage of this wine since the lovely 1996. 89-91. 2009-17.

2001 Ruchottes-Chambertin " Clos des Ruchottes "
Wonderfully complex nose of plumy, intensely earthy fruit infused with subtle notes of truffle and dried herbs leading to bright, vibrant, medium weight, round and extremely pure flavors that are utterly delicious and seductive. The finish is solidly structured, rich extremely elegant and pure with outstanding precision. I very much like this as it's stylish yet with real substance. 89-92. 2008-18.

2001 Gevrey-Chambertin " Clos St.-Jacques "
Knockout aromas of wonderfully intense black and red cherry fruit loaded with cassis and a touch of new oak introduce medium-bodied, sweet, harmonious, very expressive and long flavors all underpinned by racy minerality and firm structure. The tannins are prominent but ripe and the density of extract is impressive and this both coats and stains the palate. As it always does, this delivers finesse with real mid-palate punch. 90-93. 2009-20.

2001 Chambertin Clos de Bèze
Superbly elegant in every respect with its stylish, astonishingly complex pinot fruit, marvelously intense, sappy, crushed panoply of red and black fruit flavors. As with the Chambertin, this is more of a medium weight effort underpinned by very fine tannins and palate staining length. This is the essence of Clos de Bèze as it is incredibly spicy and wonderfully seductive. This is extremely classy juice. 92-94. 2012-20+.

2001 Chambertin
Stunning aromatic complexity with ultra pure layers upon layers of black and red pinot fruit mixed with violets, dried rose petals and rich soil notes plus far more minerality than this wine usually displays. The moderately structured flavors are buffered by superb extract and the sheer depth and breadth of flavors is dazzling. As classic Chambertin goes, this is not especially massive and more of a muscular middle weight but is incredibly long and the intensity is simply breathtaking. 91-94. 2014-20+.

2001 GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN CLOS ST-JACQUES. 95(+)/A+.
2001 CHAMBERTIN CLOS DE BEZE. 96(+)/A.
2001 CHAMBERTIN. 96(+)/A

Contrary to reports in a widely-read publication that apparently attempted to cover for its failure to appreciate Rousseau's wines in the 1990, there have been no major changes here. There have been incremental changes, such as the beginning of green harvesting in 1993.
Rousseau's wines have already begun to close up and I expect that they will take substantial cellaring until they open to achieve their full potential, but make no mistake, there are outstanding wines here. The wine initially are not especially dark, but as often happens with Burgundy, they darken with over time (in this case, two days in an opened bottle).

The Gevrey Chambertin Clos St-Jacques has classic strawberry and red currant aromas and flavors with minerality and Gevrey wildness, and a smattering of oriental spice, all of great purity. This is not a powerful or heavy wine, but it is dense and concentrated with a long finish and great finesse. 2012-2032. Lot 12.

The Chambertin Clos de Bèze is a more opulent, richer, less mineral wine, especially when tasted on days subsequent to the opening of the bottle. The strawberries remain, but the red currant is replaced by darker, more animal aromas and flavors. This may be slightly below the very greatest Clos de Bèzes from Rousseau, but it will provide a great wine for those willing to cellar it sufficiently. 2014-2034. Lot L10.

Like the Clos de Bèze, the Chambertin is one of the greatest wines of the vintage. It is the most closed of the three wines. Less opulent and animal than the Clos de Bèze and less mineral and stony that the Clos St-Jacques, the wine impresses by its purity and seamless harmony, the same way Romanée-Conti does in Vosne. Very pure and complex red fruit aromas, red and black licorice on the palate with other red fruits. Give this wine lots of time, because for now it is closed and one has to judge it by the concentration. 2016-2036. Lot L11.

The Gevrey 2001 has spicy red currant and strawberry fruit. In the mouth the wine is soft and round with pure, wild red currant and strawberry fruit, making for a good village wine. 85-88.

The Gevrey-Cazetiers 2001 is a bit less expressive in the nose, but still shows lovely, deep raspberry and strawberry flavors that are pure and deep. There are tannins here, but they are ripe and the wine should age well. 87-90.

The Gevrey-Lavaux St-Jacques 2001 consists of a parcel of vines that are ten years old and another one that is about 60 years old. It shows stony red fruit aromas, followed in the mouth by depth, purity, and nervosity to the red currant and raspberry fruit that is similar, but more mineral and stony, than that of the Cazetiers. 88-91.

The Charmes-Chambertin 2001 is rounder and more supple with a simple, but likeable, strawberry fruit. 87-90.

The Mazy-Chambertin 2001 has darker, more exotic fruit in the nose with all-spice, as well. In the mouth, there is good density, but the wine retains its elegance, and the spicy dark fruit and licorice make this an attractive and typical Mazy, and the best I have had here in many years. 89-93.

The Clos de la Roche 2001 has a most attractive stony, spiced nose. In the mouth, the wine has the sleekness but not quite the nervosity of the Mazy, and very good depth and firmness to the red and black fruits. 90-94.

The Ruchottes-Chambertin 2001 has lacy, stony strawberry fruit in both the nose and mouth, excellent length, and again, not quite the nervosity of the Mazy. 91-95.

The Gevrey-Clos St-Jacques 2001 is in perfect harmony with the precise red fruit and greater weight that the Ruchottes. The wine has all the length and complexity one could hope for and has digested the 100% new oak very well so that is not apparent. This is Clos St-Jacques to argue for Grand Cru status. 94-97.

The Chambertin-Clos-de-Bèze 2001 is deep in the nose with dark fruits and animal aromas plus some spices. In the mouth, the wine is round, full and harmonious with black and red raspberry fruit, cocoa, and spices, all adding up to perfect harmony. 95-98.

The Chambertin 2001 showed a less expressive nose. In the mouth, the wine is tilted more to red fruit flavors, with great depth, purity, substance and length. 94-98.