A beautifully elegant essence of red berry fruit nose enjoys added breadth in the form of spice, earth and gentle floral nuances. I very much like the sense of freshness and vivacity to the medium weight plus flavors that possess fine detail and a hint of minerality that continues onto the silky and saline-inflected finish. This wine has made a great deal of progress over the past 5 vintages or so and 2012 continues that trend.

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Tasted blind at the annual "Burgfest" tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru from Domaine Armand Rousseau has a disjointed nose at first, showing some signs of reduction, although it does coalesce in the glass and offer crushed strawberry and red plum notes, deeply infused with forest floor and mushroom aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with a pastille-like entry, the acidity nicely judged with just a dab of spice towards the finish. It is a charming Charmes-Chambertin, but one that here falls short of my expectations out of barrel, whereas other Rousseau 2012s excel. Possibly this is suffering a dumb phase? I'll hang that question mark against my score.

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