2015 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle
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Tasting notes
Bright medium red. More complex on the nose than the foregoing samples, with lovely perfumed scents of musky raspberry and dried flowers. Dense and seamless on the palate, with mouth-saturating sweetness to its flavors of raspberry and currant. This wine, made from very ripe grapes, struck me as a bit heavy when I tasted it in late 2016 but today it comes across as distinctly firmer and rather stylish, thanks to ripe acidity and a fine dusting of tannins--not to mention underlying minerality. Trapet vinified this wine entirely with whole clusters, and that may also have contributed energy.
Critic scores
Average Score
The Wine Advocate
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2015 Gevrey-Chamberitn 1er Cru Petite Chapelle has more clayey, colder soils than the domaines other crus that tends to keep the humidity, which of course was advantageous in a dry season like 2015. And the nose reflects that: plenty of vibrant red berry fruit here, hints of orange zest and cedar, very focused with good energy. The palate is medium-bodied with fine definition: crisp and lively with crunchy raspberry and cranberry fruit, the tongue tingling with the energy locked in right on the finish. This is excellent.
(this fruit was harvested at 14+% alcohol, according to Trapet; vinified with 100% whole clusters): Medium red. Superripe aromas of roasted plum, redcurrant, smoke and game. Large-scaled and a bit reduced, currently showing less cut and energy than most of the other 2015s at this address. Not a sweet style yet it's a bit topheavy. Finishes with strong tannins and a lingering saline character. Not my favorite style. Trapet told me he did only pumpovers and left the tank open to evaporate some of this wine's alcohol, noting that it will be bottled at 13.8%.
The 2015 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Petite Chapelle had a high potential alcohol, as apparently the stems absorbed some of the alcohol during alcoholic fermentation, although since then it has dropped to around 13.3°. It has a more open knit bouquet than the other 2015s from Trapet and for me, it does not quite deliver the same level of finesse and focus. The palate is better with attractive crunchy black fruit. It feels quite strict and linear, although cuts away swiftly on the finish. Does this Petite Chapelle have more to give down the line? Maybe it will catch up with its impressive 2015 siblings with time in bottle.