Domaine Armand Rousseau, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, 2011

This is one of the most revered names in all of Burgundy. Domaine Armand Rousseau sits in the conversation alongside Romanee-Conti and Leflaive, and its Charmes-Chambertin is a Grand Cru from the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin in the Cote de Nuits, made from Pinot Noir. Rousseau's bottling draws on parcels in Charmes-Chambertin plus a slice of neighboring Mazoyeres-Chambertin, planted on limestone soils that give the wine its silky, perfumed style: this is the more openly charming, accessible side of the Rousseau range rather than the powerhouse Chambertin or Clos de Beze. The 2011 is a mid-weight, earlier-drinking vintage, which means this Grand Cru is showing beautifully now after well over a decade in bottle. Decant and serve it with proper stemware; bottles like this don't come around often.