Whiffs of violet and cherry blossom lend floral, perfumed tones to juicy mulberry and cherry flavours in this wine. Moderately full in body and etched by notes of sweet spice and licorice, this fresh-fruited wine finishes on ruffles of smoky, charry tannins.

The Girardin family has been present in Burgundy since 1570. Justin represents the 13th generation to operate the family estate of 17 hectares, from Santenay to Savigny-les-Beaune. Aware of the exceptional nature of these terroirs, he puts his know-how at the service of the vines to produce the best wine each year.

Wine pairings: Red meats, game, cheeses.

Operating temperature: between 16°C and 17°C.

Aging potential: 7 to 9 years.

Age of vines: 45 years.

Ageing French oak barrels. Origin of wood: Allier and Vosges 20%, of new oak.
Wine remained 15 months in barrels.

Viticulture Pruning style: Cordon de Royat and Guyot simple
Manual harvest
Green work (de-budding, leaf-thinning,...)
Triple sorting: in the vineyard (twice) and in the winery on sorting table

Winemaking Grapes are destemmed, put into vat at 12°c during 5 days (cold pre-fermentary) to extract the primary aromas.
Indigenous yeasts.
During fermentation, the temperature is monitored so that it is around 26 °c with a peak at 30°c. Smooth extraction respecting the grape variety, terroir and vintage.
Fermentation lasts around 20 days.

On the southern extremity of the Santenay vineyard is this climate, on the border with the Maranges. The name comes from a certain Mr Rousseau, the owner of this clos at some point. Despite the orthographic difference we suppose today that the Petit Clos Rousseau, Grand Clos Rousseau in Santenay and the Clos Roussot in Maranges were owned by the same family et were divided during the successions. Another explanation is the French sobriquet "roussot" : the redhead.

With a beautiful exposition to the south-east and a relief marked by many cracks, the Clos Rousseau is an excellent terroir. The soil is more thick and clayey than Beauregard and covered of limestone marls which drain the moisture and help to freshen up the vines during the summer. This gives a rich wine, well structured and with a great cellaring potential.

"Cask sample. Mid cherry red. Smells a little sweeter and riper than the Maladière. Darker-fruited. Riper on the palate, too, sweet and spicy with just enough freshness. Smooth and easy…"
16 points. Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com (January 2024)

Awarded 88-91 points: Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy (October 2023)