A Minima rouge AOC 2023

This red wine seeks finesse, not power. Red cherry and raspberry meet a floral violet note, the structure stays delicate, the tannin fine-grained. Jean-Louis Trapet sees this wine as a tribute to Jules Chauvet, the father of the natural wine movement.

The Domaine Trapet Père & Fils is based in Gevrey-Chambertin and farms 18.5 hectares in Burgundy, including the three Grand Crus Chambertin, Chapelle-Chambertin and Latricières-Chambertin. Jean-Louis Trapet has run the estate since the 1990s, now in the seventh generation, and has farmed biodynamically since 1996, favouring meticulous soil work and observation over intervention. His credo: "Les hommes passent et la terre reste" (people pass, the land remains).

A Passetoutgrain in the old Burgundian sense: Pinot Noir and Gamay are co-planted in a single parcel and arrive together at the cellar. During harvest, vinification and ageing, Trapet forgoes sulphur entirely; only at bottling is a minimal dose added. The work is done by gravity and with a gentle hand.

Juicy red fruit, lively acidity, silky tannin, a clean and precise finish. At 13.0% vol. the wine stays lithe; served cool, its freshness shows most clearly.

Perfect with charcuterie and terrines, with free-range poultry and mushroom dishes. Lentils with bacon or a simple coq au vin also suit it well.

The family history begins with Arthur Trapet, who in the 1880s secretly grafted onto American rootstock, in violation of the ban in force at the time; the method was legalised in 1888. The estate is awarded three stars, its highest rating, by the Guide des meilleurs vins de France. Jean-Louis Trapet also runs, together with his wife Andrée, the Domaine Trapet Alsace in Riquewihr.