Domaine Armand Rousseau

Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru

Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

2013

Vintage

Varietal

Pinot Noir

ABV

Peak 2016-2037

Where it is, June 2026

At Peak: in the heart of its drinking window (2016-2037).

In 2026 this bottle sits mid-peak and is one of the most rewarding stretches you will find for it. The drinking window opened in 2014, climbs through a long plateau that peaks from 2016 to 2037, and does not enter hard decline until 2046. That places a 2013 squarely in its prime today, with primary cherry fruit still bright but secondary notes of spice, cocoa and cedar now woven through. There is no urgency to pour, yet no reason to wait either; the acid 7 backbone is holding everything taut and fresh, and the fine-grained tannins have softened into silk. Open it now or hold confidently for another decade.

Related vintages

The ‘13 Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru.

Rousseau's 2013 Chambertin-Clos de Beze pours richer than its cool vintage, with red and black cherry, exotic spice and knife-edge precision; mid-peak and drinking beautifully in 2026.

Drinking window

The arcYou are here · at peak, 2026

Tasting note

This is a brilliant blend of red and black cherries, black raspberries, exotic spice, raw cocoa, black minerality and a discreet base of cedary oak. The palate is hugely rich, opulent and pliant, over-delivering on its cool vintage with a depth you feel as much as taste. The structure reads beautifully balanced: a mid-weight body 6 that carries the fruit without heaviness, tannin 6 that has resolved into a fine-grained, almost cashmere grip, and a vibrant acid 7 spine that keeps the wine lifted and precise. That acidity is the engine here, threading knife-edge precision from the first aromatic lift through an intensely flavored finish that lingers on spice and cool stone. It is a wine of transparency rather than force, where power is implied and finesse is everything. Decant it and the layers unfurl steadily, each sip more articulate than the last.

The 2013 vintage

2013 was a cool, late-ripening Burgundy vintage shaped by a cold, wet spring, with flowering the latest recorded since 1978. Poor fruit set and tiny yields followed, and an October harvest under short, cool days locked in crisp, vibrant acidity and comparatively light-bodied reds. Wine Spectator rated the Cote de Nuits reds 92 (Outstanding). Rousseau's Clos de Beze over-delivers against that vintage average, reading richer, riper and more opulent than the cool-year profile would suggest, thanks to brutal selection and the estate's grip on its grand cru parcels.

About Domaine Armand Rousseau

Domaine Armand Rousseau is the benchmark estate of Gevrey-Chambertin, now in its third generation under Eric Rousseau and his daughter Cyrielle. The house works its grand cru parcels in Chambertin and Chambertin-Clos de Beze for purity and transparency to site, letting the vineyard speak rather than the cellar. The Clos de Beze is raised in a high proportion of new oak yet stays detailed and precise, a signature of the estate's restraint.

From the cellar: pair with

Roast squab with morel and cherry jus

The wine's mid-weight body 6 matches the bird without overwhelming it, while the fine-grained tannin 6 cuts the richness of the jus and echoes the wine's own red and black cherry.

Duck breast with a pinot reduction

Tannin 6 has the structure to handle duck fat yet stays gentle enough not to dry the meat, and the lifted acid 7 keeps each bite fresh through a rich, savory reduction.

Aged Comte and Epoisses board

The vibrant acid 7 slices through the fat of washed-rind and aged cheeses, while the moderate body 6 holds its own against Epoisses without the cheese flattening the wine's spice and minerality.

Service & cellaring

Serving Temp: 60-64F (16-18C)
Decanting: Decant 45 to 60 minutes before serving. A mid-peak grand cru like this opens in layers, and air lets the cocoa, spice and cedar emerge around the bright cherry core while the acid 7 lift integrates. Pour off any fine sediment from a 2013.
Cellar Storage: 55F (13C), 60-70% humidity, bottle on its side.

Track this bottle Read the Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru guide

The drinking window on this bottle is calculated with the Cellared Ageability Index (CAI) v1.0, a 10-factor model. Try the free drinking window calculator on any wine, or read when to drink wine for the practical signals.

Frequently Asked

When should I drink this 2013 Rousseau Chambertin-Clos de Beze?

Now is an excellent time. In 2026 it is mid-peak, drinking in the long plateau that runs from 2016 to 2037. The window opened in 2014 and hard decline does not begin until 2046, so you can pour it tonight or hold it confidently for another ten years or more.

Should I decant this wine?

Yes. Give it 45 to 60 minutes in a decanter. At mid-peak the wine still benefits from air, which lets the cocoa, exotic spice and cedary oak unfurl around the cherry fruit and softens the fine-grained tannin 6. Decanting also separates the fine sediment a 2013 will have thrown.

What food pairs best with it?

Lean toward game birds and duck. Roast squab with a cherry jus or duck breast with a pinot reduction both meet its body 6 and use the tannin 6 to cut richness. Aged Comte and Epoisses work too, since the acid 7 slices cleanly through fat and washed-rind cheese.

How much longer can I cellar it?

Comfortably another decade or more. Cote de Nuits grand cru Pinot Noir typically peaks 12 to 25 years from vintage, and this bottle's plateau extends to 2037 with hard decline not arriving until 2046. Stored at 55F and on its side, a well-kept 2013 has years of life left.

What should I open next in a similar style?

Stay in the same grand cru terroir and explore further with the [2015 Joseph Drouhin Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru](/wines/joseph-drouhin/chambertin-clos-de-beze-grand-cru/2015) for a warmer-vintage counterpoint. For broader context, see the [Burgundy cellar guide](/wines/region/burgundy) and our wider range of [Pinot Noir wines](/wines/varietal/pinot-noir).