The soil of this vineyard is extremely fertile and very stony. The top of the Clos is ostrea acuminata marl. The shallow clay topsoil allows the water to run down the slope following the strata of marl and this gives fullness and typicity to the wines. Halfway down the slope the soil is deeper (about 60cm), and lies on crinodial Bajocian limestone. The soil is rich in clay and limestone rock. The Prémeaux limestone at lower end of the vineyard makes the soil rich in limestone rock and shale. The vineyard is divided into five vertical strips belonging to five different domains. Domaine Rousseau owns one third of the total area of the Clos. The vineyard faces south-east and benefits from maximum exposure to the sun, while its proximity to the Combe Lavaux keeps it cool.

One of the greatest names in all of Burgundy, dating back to the 1930s when Armand was one of the first of five domaines to defy the negociants and bottle their own wine. The Rousseau name is synonymous with Gevrey-Chambertin; Armand passed the reins to Charles who on retirement passed control to his son Eric.