2019 Gevrey-Chambertin Capita

Jean-Louis Trapet has entered a purple patch in recent years, his wines better than ever. I called in at his winery, located in Gevrey on the RN74, where I tasted through his 2018s. He is a soft-spoken, thoughtful vigneron, a proponent and practitioner of biodynamic viticulture for many years. He provided some useful data on the growing season. “The average temperature was 2°C higher between April and September whilst there was just 290mm of rain instead of the normal 40mm," he told me. "There was also more sunlight hours: 1,580 hours in the same period instead of 1,300 hours. I harvested within five days this year, very quickly, beginning on 2 September. It is unbelievable that we are harvesting earlier and earlier. I was looking for optimal ripeness and it was incredible [to find] that the potential alcohol increased by two degrees within a week. The alcohol levels are around 13.0% and 13.5%." These were at times breathtaking expressions of the vintage, at times among the very best that I encountered within the Côte d’Or.

Located on the main RN74 artery, the ever-congenial Jean-Louis Trapet has overseen a raft of stupendous, traditionally crafted wines in recent years. Even though I materialized in his office on the wrong day, he was only too willing to show me through his 2017s after office hours, when others would have asked me to return another day. This year saw a slightly expanded range courtesy of Trapet’s Marsannays, of which the Marsannay Blanc, mixed with a little Pinot Blanc and Aligoté, is an absolute treat. Jean-Louis is one of the leading practitioners of biodynamics. That does not imply that his wines are superior; rather, it is indicative of a winemaker who cares for his vineyards. The wines are completely different from those of the 1990s, when they leaned towards a more oaky style. Now new wood is judiciously used, along with whole bunch and minimal sulphur during vinification and maturation.

“There was a great solidarity against the frost, especially amongst the younger winemakers,” Trapet told me, referring to the combined efforts to burn straw the morning after frost threatened. “There was not much rain during the summer and then we picked around September 6 or 7. The wines seem very tranquil at the moment. We will rack early next year and bottle in the spring [though as my notes suggest, some of the entry-level wines had been bottled].”

His three Grand Crus are compelling, crowed by a complex and almost pixelated Chambertin and a Latricières-Chambertin imbued with uncommon sensuality. There is clever use of whole bunch fruit through his range, their influence on occasion barely noticeable, especially on his “Capita” cuvée, which combines his finest parcels in Combottes, Ergot and Corbeaux.

Like so many of his colleagues on the Côte d’Or, Jean-Louis Trapet called attention to “the superb differences between the crus” in 2016. He described the young wines as “very concentrated, dense and ripe, with mature tannins” and compared them to his 2010s and 2002s. But he admitted that in 2015, “everything is good,” while there are more differences in 2016. Trapet produced about 30 hectoliters per hectare in '16 from his vineyards that were not touched by frost, noting that he also had to spray his vines in late spring wearing a backpack because with all the rainfall from April through early June it was impossible to get any heavy equipment into the vineyards. The worst period, he told me, was during June, and especially during the flowering, when mildew affected the flowering buds.

Trapet started harvesting on Monday, September 26 and finished at the end of that week, just as rain began to fall. Some wines did not require chaptalization but others did, especially the frosted Marsannay. Trapet told me he “respected the idea of the vintage,” and that 2016 was "a little like the older vintages in Burgundy, with a good range of maturity, including some fruit at 11% potential alcohol but also some that was almost overripe.” He cut back slightly on his use of whole clusters and did more pumpovers than punchdowns. He was in the middle of racking the ‘16s—and sulfuring them for the first time—when I stopped by to taste in November.

As to 2015, Trapet says that this is “without doubt a great vintage, with more structural support than--but not as Burgundian as--the 2016s, which can be even better than the ‘15s at their best. The 2015s are very consistent, while the ‘16s are more genial, and possibly a little facile, although they also have a firm framework of acidity and minerality.” Trapet, who bottled his ‘15s in April of this year, vinified these wines with 50% whole clusters due to the maturity of the fruit. “The stems gave the wines a needed green touch and energy,” he explained.

“It was a good thing that we were forced to pick in a narrow window in 2015,” said Jean-Louis Trapet in December. “Otherwise the alcohol levels might have been way too high.” Trapet began on September 6 with grape sugars around 12.5% and finished on September 11 with 13.5+% potential alcohol. There was concentration through evaporation during the hot days at the end of August but the pHs in the post-malo wines are in the healthy 3.4 range and Trapet told me he’s shocked by the structure and freshness of the ‘15s. “It’s a great year that combines ripeness and a firm mineral framework,” he summarized. In fact, some of these young 2015s display a dynamism that reminds me of the 2010s. No doubt his vinification with 40% to 100% whole clusters—not to mention his soft extraction and organic farming—was constructive.

Jean-Louis Trapet's 2014s are classically dry, firmly tannic and sophisticated, showing clear transparency to soil. Trapet harvested with grape sugars generally between 12% and 12.2% and he told me that none of his finished wines reached 13%.

Jean-Louis Trapet's 2014s are classically dry, firmly tannic and sophisticated, showing clear transparency to soil Trapet harvested with grape sugars generally between 12% and 122% and he told me that none of his finished wines reached 13%

“Two thousand fourteen was practically the opposite of 2013,” said Jean-Louis Trapet in November. “We had an early flowering and then some heat spikes grilled some of the berries, which fell off the vines. We didn’t have a good August but the luminosity before and during the harvest allowed us to wait a bit. ” Trapet began picking on September 15, bringing in fruit with potential alcohol between 12% and 12. 5%. “The only problems we had with the flies was near the house and in some village parcels next to cherry trees. The rest of our vines are millerandé and therefore well-aerated. The flies prefer to remain in the shadows. ”

Trapet vinified with what he described as a reasonable level of whole clusters in 2014 as he was less confident about the full maturity of the stems. He believes that the wines have good structure and ageability. The 2014s were still in barrel, unracked, at the time of my tasting.

Jean-Louis Trapet's 2011s have turned out beautifully. The harvest started on September 5, a bit on the later side for the year. Trapet adds that the growing cycle lasted 110 days, which is to say quite normal. Yields are down about 30% across the board, also about average for the year.

Jean-Louis Trapet described 2011 as "a chaotic season."Although it was hot at harvest time (Trapet began on September 3), the forecasted rains did not materialize.A strict selection was necessary to eliminate both green and rotten grapes:Trapet estimated that he rejected 15% to 18% of his fruit. Grape sugars ranged from 11.8% to 12.5% and Trapet chaptalized lightly.He did less pigeage in 2011, as the material had less structure."Nature gave the wines finesse and elegance," he said.Trapet noted that his 2007s were riper and richer than his 2011s, "with similar pinot aromas," but finds the '11s are more airy.Crop levels were down by 20% to 25% in 2012, 2011, and 2010 here, making Trapet luckier than some of his neighbors.

Jean-Louis Trapet is a quiet man, but when you make wines like these, words aren't necessary. The Trapet 2010s are striking, but like everywhere else there isn't much to go around. Trapet did not make his Gevrey villages Ostrea and the 1er Crus Clos Prieur and Petite Chapelle because yields were so small. None of the 2010s had at the time of my visit. I also tasted a number of 2009s that have turned out as good or better than I had expected. Trapet doesn't seem to get anywhere near the recognition the wines deserve. There may be trendier domaines out there, but few that are at this level.

"Two thousand ten is about fruit; it's a good mix of 2008 and 2009," said Jean-Louis Trapet. "We had a chaotic flowering but that permitted a tiny crop." Trapet started harvesting on September 26, but he believes that his organic farming, which has forced the vines' roots deeper, helped the domain avoid the potential dilutive effect of the September 24 rain. Also, he added, "biodynamics restores the rhythm of the vines. We rarely have green tannins anymore, even if the grape sugars are just 12% or 12.2%. There's less difference today between our sugar and phenolic ripeness." The malos here finished as late as September but no wines had been racked at the time of my visit. Owing to the short crop, there's just a single Gevrey villages and a single premier cru in 2010.

This is a beautiful set of wines from Jean-Louis Trapet. The estate farms their vineyards biodynamically. After fermentation the wines are kept in a cold part of the cellar to delay the malolactic fermentations. When I visited in March 2011, the 2010s had not even begun their malos. In 2009 the harvest started on September 18. The wines spent about 18 days on the skins prior to being racked into barrel, where they stayed on their lees with no rackings until they were bottled with no fining or filtration. The amount of whole clusters ranged from 30% to 60%, while the use of new barrels ranged from 30% to 50%. The 2009s were bottled in February 2011, four to six weeks earlier than normal. Trapet is among the growers who believe The 2009s will not shut down in bottle. I was also quite taken with the selection of 2008s I tasted. Burgundy fans will find much to admire in both vintages. The house style tends towards the firm, classic end of the spectrum, so a measure of patience is required, even for The 2009s.

Jean-Louis Trapet harvested quite late in 2009. "The challenge was to have phenolic maturity, not just good sugar ripeness," he maintained. "Of course the risk was that we could have lost acidity. But organic farming seems to preserve tension even in wines with higher pHs. The fruits in 2009 are more red than black." A significant percentage of whole-cluster vinification (about one-third in most wines, but 60% in the Capita) contributed further energy to the wines. Trapet believes that the tannins in the 2009s are suppler than those of 1990. He describes the new vintage as "a bit like 1989, but more complex." The malos here were early, finishing between January and March, as a result of which the wines were quite expressive in November.

Also recommended: 2008 Gevrey-Chambertin (86).

"A very Burgundy vintage," said Jean-Louis Trapet about 2008, by which I assume he meant that it was a miserable summer. As the size of the crop was reduced by millerandage, Trapet did not carry out a green harvest, but he did a severe selection at harvest time. He started picking on September 29 with grape sugars reaching 12.5% and with good tannic ripeness. (In contrast, he told me, the tannins were not ripe at the same sugar levels in the warmer growing season of 2009, and that's why he waited longer than many of his neighbors did to pick.) Trapet chaptalized most of his 2008s, but did not add sugar in 2009 or 2007. The top 2007 cuvees here have turned out splendidly, by the way. (A Patrick Lesec Selection; importers include The Stacole Company, Boca Raton, FL and Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA)

Jean-Louis Trapet picked on the late side in 2007, between September 10 and 17. "Before that the grapes had too much malic acidity," explained Trapet, who told me a lot of fruit came in at 13% potential alcohol, with some lots reaching 14.9%! Not surprisingly, he did not chaptalize his wines. "We got a lot of concentration at the end," he summarized. "Eventually we had 120 days between flowering and harvest, and that made a real difference in 2007." And the stems were riper in 2007 than they had been the previous year. None of the 2007s had been racked yet when I tasted them at the beginning of November. The 2006 crus, notes Trapet, will need a good seven or eight years of bottle aging, the grand crus perhaps even more. (A Patrick Lesec Selection; importers include The Stacole Company, Boca Raton, FL and Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA)

Jean-Louis Trapet picked on the late side in 2007, between September 10 and 17. "Before that the grapes had too much malic acidity," explained Trapet, who told me a lot of fruit came in at 13% potential alcohol, with some lots reaching 14.9%! Not surprisingly, he did not chaptalize his wines. "We got a lot of concentration at the end," he summarized. "Eventually we had 120 days between flowering and harvest, and that made a real difference in 2007." And the stems were riper in 2007 than they had been the previous year. None of the 2007s had been racked yet when I tasted them at the beginning of November. The 2006 crus, notes Trapet, will need a good seven or eight years of bottle aging, the grand crus perhaps even more. (A Patrick Lesec Selection; importers include The Stacole Company, Boca Raton, FL and Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA)

Jean-Louis Trapet told me that 2006 was a challenge, particularly in Gevrey-Chambertin, but in the end he was happy with what he had in barrel. "We had good weather until the hailstorm at the end of July," he said, "but the hail threw off the balance of the weather. We then had cool, humid periods in August. Chapelle-Chambertin was the most affected by hail, especially at the top of the cru, but Latricieres was spared and only the bottom of Chambertin on the north side was touched." Trapet carried out a talc treatment the day after the hailstorm to dry out the grapes in the vines hit by hail. Then at harvest time, he left the dried grapes on the sorting table after carrying out a triage in the vines. And he destemmed this fruit almost entirely. Ultimately he produced 30 to 35 hectoliters per hectare from the unaffected parcels, and just 20 in Chapelle-Chambertin. (A Patrick Lesec Selection; importers include The Stacole Company, Boca Raton, FL; Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA; Wine Warehouse, Commerce, CA)

Jean-Louis Trapet told me that 2006 was a challenge, particularly in Gevrey-Chambertin, but in the end he was happy with what he had in barrel. "We had good weather until the hailstorm at the end of July," he said, "but the hail threw off the balance of the weather. We then had cool, humid periods in August. Chapelle-Chambertin was the most affected by hail, especially at the top of the cru, but Latricieres was spared and only the bottom of Chambertin on the north side was touched." Trapet carried out a talc treatment the day after the hailstorm to dry out the grapes in the vines hit by hail. Then at harvest time, he left the dried grapes on the sorting table after carrying out a triage in the vines. And he destemmed this fruit almost entirely. Ultimately he produced 30 to 35 hectoliters per hectare from the unaffected parcels, and just 20 in Chapelle-Chambertin. (A Patrick Lesec Selection; importers include The Stacole Company, Boca Raton, FL; Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA; Wine Warehouse, Commerce, CA)