Gevrey-Chambertin "Petite-Chapelle" 1er Cru 2015

A premier cru that favours clarity over power. Dark cherry, undergrowth and a cool, chalky edge carry the wine, the tannin stays fine-grained, the frame lean: 12.5% Vol. With around ten years of bottle age, the 2015 already drinks openly.

Petite-Chapelle is one of the premiers crus of Gevrey-Chambertin, lying just below the grand cru Chapelle-Chambertin. In his Gevrey-Chambertin vineyards, Jean-Louis Trapet found fossilised oyster shells, evidence of a former seabed. The domaine farms 18.5 hectares, including the three grands crus Chambertin, Chapelle-Chambertin and Latricières-Chambertin. Jean-Louis Trapet runs it in the seventh generation, with a phrase close to his heart: "Les hommes passent et la terre reste."

Pure Pinot Noir. Since 1996 Jean-Louis Trapet has farmed biodynamically, favouring precise soil work and close observation over intervention. In the cellar, gravity moves the wine, part of the grapes stay whole-cluster, and new oak never exceeds half of the barrels used by the house. The grapes are guided, not forced.

Dry and silky, fine-grained tannin, juicy red cherry, lively acidity. The finish stays long, saline and chalky.

Partridge with truffle jus, braised leg of lamb, duck breast with sour cherries or wild mushrooms in butter. Aged Époisses and Comté also pair well. Half an hour of air opens the aromatics without altering the texture.

In the 1880s, Arthur Trapet secretly grafted his vines onto American rootstock, forbidden at the time, legalised in 1888. The Guide des meilleurs vins de France awards the domaine three stars, its highest rating.