Domaine Trapet Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru ‘Aux Combottes’ 2023

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 2023 Vintage at Domaine Trapet Père et Fils

Jean-Louis Trapet’s sons, Louis and Pierre, have now largely taken over the day-to-day operations though I met with him to solicit his views on the 2023 vintage. As I noted last year, his sons are continuing to slowly convert the domaine to the paisseux, or staked vine system, of trellising using the same 12,500 vine planting density they use currently. This system was used for centuries before phylloxera and it uses one tall post per vine. They have also decided to vinify the parcels of Corbeaux, Combottes and En Ergot individually, at least when quantities permit, while eliminating the cuvée Capita. With respect to 2023, the combined Trapet team observed that the “growing season was not too difficult to manage as there wasn’t a huge amount of disease pressure though this isn’t to say none. The flowering passed quickly, which always helps from the standpoint of having homogenous maturities. Thereafter conditions were warm to very warm but not excessively so, which also helped with having homogenous maturities. Over the course of the season there really wasn’t any hydric stress except during the last two weeks of August where the temps really soared along with grape sugars. So, we picked between the 6th and the 18th of September and yields were very good but not excessive with good but not high potential alcohols that ranged from 12.8 to 13%. We used from 20 to 80% whole clusters for the vinifications and had no issues with the fermentations completing. The acidities are on the lower side with post-malo pHs on the higher side at between 3.65 to 3.70. We also are now using more 450 L barrels for the élevage to be sure that we’re not inadvertently marking the aromatics. As to the wines, they are less marked by the heat of the season than one might expect while offering good freshness and energy as well as lovely transparency to the underlying terroir. Structurally, the wines are supple yet with enough tannic load such that they should both be accessible young while having the wherewithal to age too.” This is an excellent set of wines and particularly at the grand cru level. 

Allen Meadows, Burghound

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