Fragrant aromas of rose, cherry, sandalwood and sweet baking spice announce this polished, elegant red, whose intense flavors build nicely to the long finish, with a mineral element coming in on the aftertaste. A touch heavy on grip and oak presence now, but this shows terrific potential. Best from 2021 through 2040. 20 cases imported. –BS

(90-92 points) Here the reticent nose of plum, violet and dark berries is notably earthier and more sauvage in character. There is a lovely sense of underlying tension to the delineated, muscular and equally mineral-driven flavors that possess slightly more size and weight on the youthfully austere finish where a hint of bitter cherry arises. Note that moderate patience will be required.

The Cazetiers vines here are between fifty and sixty years of age now and the wine has really succeeded in 2014. The beautiful nose jumps from the glass in another sappy mélange of red plums, red and black cherries, grilled meat, dark chocolate, black minerality and just a whisper of nutty oak (again, this wine saw no new wood during its elevage). On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and again, really sappy at the core, with great depth and focus, a lovely signature of soil to go with all this beautiful fruit, suave tannins and excellent focus and the long and complex finish. Truly stunning as well.

Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2014 tasting, I remember that the 2014 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru les Cazetiers was perplexing from barrel. Here, it has a harmonious, elegant yet quite intense bouquet with red cherries, wild strawberry and white pepper scents gaining momentum all the time in the glass. The aromatics just seem to grow. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, very focused and harmonious with pure, tensile red cherries, strawberry and light spice notes on the saturated finish. The oak is seamlessly integrated and it just loses some of its initial class with aeration in the glass. Good, but hey, this is Rousseau. - Neal Martin