Tasted in Gevrey-Chambertin with Nicolas Rossignol, 05 December 2023.
Domaine Rossignol-Trapet
4 Rue de la Petite Issue
21220 Gevrey-Chambertin
Tel: +33 3 80 51 87 26
www.rossignol-trapet.com
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Nicolas on 2023:
“2023 wasn’t dry, 22 was dryer but we harvested after the rain in 23. The rain was good for deblocking the maturity – it was hard, nearly a third of the grapes that were ‘figué’ (shriveled) – none of my parents or grand-parents can remember a canicule in September like we had – but…”
Nicolas on 2020:
“We didn’t do a simgle pigeage in this vintage – just remontage. In the 1980s we piged 3 times a day… There are no bottlings yet but some of the wines have been racked together. The first will be bottled before Christmas but all the 1ers and higher will be bottled in the springtime. Nice grapes in both years, though obviously a bit more to triage in 23, but I think the profile of the vintages are very different – 22 had a lot of rain in June. Combe de Dessus is our most northerly parcel, most of the rest on the south side of the village – so we didn’t have quite the flooding and the erosion problem of some neighbours. Luckily, it was mainly dry after the big rain as we were concerned with mildew for a while. We started harvesting 8th September with a good maturity – the Beaune we picked on Saturday the 9th. It was just a week of picking – easy with just one variety!”
The wines…
Beautiful, sometimes great wines in 2022!
2022 Bourgogne
Vines in the commune of Gevrey – mainly Grands Champs.
A faintly smoky but fresh aroma of inviting depth. Smoky flavours too – slightly cushioned with a tiny grain of tannin – but no dryness – that’s got a super burst of finishing flavour. It’s a completely delicious Bourgogne!
From the high slopes near Cras, ‘the wine’s more like a Cras than a Teurons!’ The vines almost touching the cuverie of JC Rateau. Planted 1982 .
Directly open and expressive – beautiful red berry fruit – a great invitation. More direct, a small textural drag from the tannin but there’s no grain here. Wide, intense, slowly calming – that’s a great Beaune – bravo! ‘Yes, I think it might be the best we’ve ever made.’
2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Etelois
Between Griotte and Charmes towards the top of the climat – it’s Harmand-Geoffroy who have the point at the top of the vineyard – the part most enclosed by GCs.
A deeper nose of calm, ripe, darker fruit. A hint of smokiness again – dark fruit bubbling below the surface – but wide and fresh. Faint barrel cream towards the finish – which will fade. Darkly juicy finishing – a bit of structure so be patient for 2 years – then enjoy – it’s just a great mouthful of flavour.
2022 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Clos Prieur
Just under Mazis, from the high part of Clos Prieur – ‘Haute’ – so 1er cru
Really perfumed depth, still smoky from the elvage here, the wc rose perfume slowly coming to the fore. In the mouth larger scale – more open and juicy – less overt grain but this remains a wine of Gevrey with some structure – super perfume in this lasting finish. Again a wine with some structure – but worth your patience – keep 3+ years before attacking.
2022 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cherbaudes
Between Clos Prieur and Chapelle Chambertin
Wide, silken but with the aromatic impression of a small cushion to the fruit. More cushioned wine – the structure too – finishing with a wonderful line of mouth-watering flavour. Gorgeous finishing… What a beautiful wine, much less overtly structural too.
2022 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Combottes
A much more high-toned aromatic – no smoke or rose to start. I like the shape of this in the mouth – more direct, with some dryness of tannin but without grain. Broad and vibrant finishing. Excellent but the nose needs to develop more vs today…
The most open and complex nose – this is a beauty – so clean and complex. Clean, direct, cool, deliciously flavoured with tons of fresh energy – almost fluidity. This is a simply beautiful wine – bravo!
Since 2003, no pigeage with this wine. ‘My grandfather always called the neighbour Grand Chapelle, not Chapelle-Chambertin, this adjoining plot is Petite Chapelle… It’s a soil with a lot of clay – almost 2 metres and hardly any stones – a colder soil though.’
Hmm – a cushioned, hyper-elegant perfume. In the mouth too – a wine to sink into and contemplate. The tannin is hardly present – without dryness too. Very broad finishing and juicy – beautiful wine, potentially great, but I’d take the extra personality of the Corbeaux today!
2022 Latricières-Chambertin
Quite a cold area under the forest so normally the last parcel to be harvested. 0.75 hectares right in the centre of the vineyard.
Quite a direct nose – structural almost – lots of complexity but not yet rewarding complexity. Hmm – this spreads wonderfully well over the palate – precise and melting. Today is not the day for this wine, despite a super finish – wait 15 years!
2022 Chapelle-Chambertin
For us a warmer, more sunny area, closer to the rock. Only about 40cm of soil before the rock, but the vines are old – from the 1920s. We are the only domaine with vines in both Gemeaux and La Chapelle, and the soils are different – the soil is much deeper in Gemeaux and most of the vines at the domaine are indeed in Gemeaux, planted in the 1930s – though only 1/4 of the latter. The rows start with 1.1 metre spacing but by the end of the rows there is only 80 cm – that works only with a horse!
A smaller but wider nose – back with some smokiness and clearly tons of depth. Mouth-filling, cushioned, more concentrated but totally balanced and approachable – I could drink this with pleasure already – super wine.
2022 Chambertin
A plot right in the middle of Chambertin, which takes in the full rows – bottom to top.
Not great volume but really great perfume – so classy, and elegant but with stature too. Mouth-filling in all directions. The structure is present but largely hidden by the upfront, completely approachable fruit and texture of this wine. Just a small tannin is visible – hardly grained – right in the finish. But like the Chapelle, you could drink this with pleasure today – or if you are fortunate in 40 more years.