Domaine Trapet Chambertin Grand Cru 2008
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Robert
Parker
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This Chambertin wine opens up an infinite, unlimited, elusive universe of the richest kind
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2008 Chambertin is dazzling. It is an explosive wine with tons of inner reserve just waiting to blossom. The wine’s unrestrained power is impossible to miss in the sheer intensity and depth of the fruit. The long, eternal finish is a hint of what is to come for those who have the discipline to bury bottles in a dark corner of the cellar. It is impressive juice. Anticipated maturity: 2023-2048.
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The domaine was known throughout much of its history as Domaine Louis Trapet, named after the founder, but in 1993, the estate’s vineyard holdings were split in half, as a new generation sought to make wines from their half of the family’s holdings (Domaine Rossignol-Trapet). The result was the Louis Trapet estate being renamed as Domaine Trapet Père et Fils and run under the very sure hand of Jean-Louis Trapet.
Today, the wines are made with an emphasis on elegance, purity and finesse. Certainly in the 1990's there was a period of a bigger, more extracted style which some collectors still mistakenly attribute to the wines of present day. This is certainly not the case. His extraction regime is much gentler today than when he started his career. The vineyards have been fully farmed under biodynamic principles since 1996, and are 100% certified biodynamic as of 2009.
In addition to his Burgundy estate, Jean-Louis and his wife also produce wines from her family’s property in Alsace. Here they grow Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and Pinot Gris. These tend to be dryer-styled Alsace wines, and are also produced from biodynamically-farmed vineyards.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
This small village is home to the Grands Crus in the farthest northerly stretches of Côte de Nuits and is famous for some of the deepest and firmest Burgundian Pinot Noir.
Gevrey boasts nine Grands Crus, the best of which are arguably Le Chambertin and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. As with all of the fragmented vineyards of Burgundy, it isn’t easy to differentiate between the two, which are situated adjacent with Clos de Bèze slightly further up the hill than Le Chambertin. Clos de Bèze has a shallower soil and if you’re really counting, may produce wines less intense but more likely to charm. Some compare Le Chambertin in both power and plentitude only to the prized Romanée-Conti Grand Cru farther south in Vosne-Romanée.
Two other Grands Crus vineyards, Mazis-Chambertin (also written Mazy-) and Latricières-Chambertin command almost as much regard as Le Chambertin and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. The upper part of Mazy, called Les Mazis Haut is the best and Latricières-Chambertin offers an abundance of juicy fruit and a silky texture in the warmer vintages.
Other Grands Crus are Ruchottes-Chambertin, Charmes-Chambertin, Mazoyères-Chambertin, Griotte-Chambertin and Chapelle-Chambertin.
The most respected Pinot Noir wines from Gevrey-Chambertin are robust and powerful but at the same time, velvety and expressive: black fruit, black liquorice and chocolate come into play. After some time in the bottle, the wines are harmonious with bright and sometimes candied fruit, and aromas of musk, truffle and forest floor. These have staying power.