Domaine Trapet Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru ‘Aléa’ 2010

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

About Domaine Trapet Père et Fils

Trapet Père et Fils is a seventh generation Gevrey-Chambertin estate and one of the largest holders of Chambertin (1.9 hectares). Known throughout much of its history as Domaine Louis Trapet, it was renamed in 1993 when the estate’s vineyard holdings were divided, with half of the holdings going to Domaine Rossignol-Trapet. The other half of the estate was renamed Domaine Trapet Père et Fils and is run by Jean-Louis Trapet.

Jean-Louis is regarded as one of the pioneers of natural viticulture in the region, and continues to lead the way in biodynamic farming (along with pals Frederic Lafarge, Dominique Lafon, Lalou Bize Leroy and others). As of 2009 the entire estate is demeter-certified.

The estate is known for its three great Grand Crus, though the quality at Domaine Trapet Père et Fils is simply outstanding up and down their hierarchy.

The domaine also owns parcels in three top premier crus: Clos Prieur, Les Corbeaux and Petite Chapelle. The Clos Prieur and Petite Chapelle plots were some of the the first vines purchased by the family in the late 19th century, followed by Petite Chapelle in 1877, and Clos Prieur in 1893. The Les Corbeaux parcel was purchased much more recently. Because these plots are relatively small, vintages with tiny yields are sometimes combined to make a wine named “Cuvee Capita 1er Cru”.

Trapet’s outstanding grand crus (Latricières-Chambertin, Chapelle-Chambertin and Chambertin) are crafted to really highlight their underlying terroirs. Though they may not be as ‘big’ or powerfully constructed as some of their other more flashy neighbors in Gevrey-Chambertin, they are in the top echelon in terms of aromatics, flavor complexity, expression of terroir, and aging potential.

Like the man himself, there is an elegance, grace and purity to the wines that is haunting and rare in a village where power dominates. All in all, Domaine Trapet Père et Fils is at the top of their game, with Jean-Louis crafting wines that are as stunning as any in the great history of this long-respected Gevrey superstar.

Check out Levi Dalton’s interview with Jean-Louis Trapet on the I’ll Drink To That! podcast.
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The 2010 Vintage at Trapet Père et Fils

Allen Meadows, Burghound on Trapets 2010’s

Jan 2013 – And his 2010s are gorgeous while having preserved all of the potential that I saw last year from cask. 

Jan 2012 – The fervent biodynamist Jean-Louis Trapet calls 2010 a “beautiful but difficult vintage. We lost a lot of vines in Gevrey due to the severe frost and yields were further reduced by the troubled flowering. On the plus side though the small crop saved the harvest because there just isn’t any way that we would have had the excellent phenolic maturities without the reduced yields. I elected to begin picking on the 24th and there was a lot of sorting work required. This included removing the usual sticks, bugs and stones but also under ripe berries and in a few cases, some rot-affected berries. Overall yields were down about 30% compared to what we realized in 2009. Sugars were quite good at between 12 and 13% and thus there was very little chaptalization. I used about 30% whole clusters on average but there were considerable variations depending on the specific wine in question. Overall, I really like the vintage as the wines have a real sense of energy and they are very refreshing to drink yet they should age effortlessly.”

Where in the World is Domaine Trapet Père et Fils

Domaine Trapet Père et Fils is located in Gevrey-Chambertin, an appellation of the Cote de Nuits celebrated for its Pinot Noirs. Learn more about this impressive region with our Wine Bites article: Getting Your Head Around Burgundy Part 9.1