“Only one factor inhibits Nicolas Rossignol from waxing lyrical about the 2019 vintage, and that is that he is even more excited by their 2020s!” wrote Jasper Morris MW in his 2019 vintage report on the highly informative insideburgundy.com. This comment chimes with our own sentiment about this increasingly in form domaine. There is an evident upward trajectory, clear in the appraisal of an increasing number of critics and obviously felt at the Domaine itself.
Yet how many Chambertin can you buy of such quality, with such broad critical acclaim at under £1,000 per 6 bottle case in bond? The value offered by all three wines is astonishing in the context of Grand Cru Burgundy, particularly for Gevrey-based domaines.
Please see below for a chart (source: Liv-Ex average list price) of several of the leading Chambertin in the market along with their prices in 2017 and 2018.
A number of factors go some way to explaining the increasingly high quality and consistency being achieved at Domaine Rossignol-Trapet. Firstly, in the words of Jasper Morris, “they have been fortunate in returning decent yields in each of the last three years, which Nicolas feels is an important factor in restricting the excesses which might otherwise occur in these hot dry vintages.” The point being here that there is a danger of excessive concentration. Secondly, Nicolas and David Rossignol were early to convert to biodynamic viticulture. As we have written frequently before, this in itself does not equate necessarily to better quality, but it is telling that so many top flight Burgundian estates have followed suit. Biodynamic viticulture requires attentiveness in the vineyard as your ability to react after the fact is very limited in comparison to conventional viticulture. Additionally, supporters of biodynamic viticulture tend to cite an increased sense of energy and a more vibrant freshness, which may be particularly useful in warmer Burgundy vintages. The Rossignol brothers have always talked about ‘infusion’ as a descriptor for gentle extraction, long before it became the buzzword that it is today. It is all of these elements and more that combine to bring about dramatic results in recent Burgundian vintages. As we mentioned in our vintage report, Burgundian growers welcome the prospect of healthy fruit and consistent ripeness in these warmer vintages and the more attentive amongst them are adept at slowing down ripeness to maximise the benefits and minimise the pitfalls. It is no surprise to see domaines like Rossignol-Trapet coming into their own.
As Simon stated when we offered the 2018s from Rossignol-Trapet: “At Atlas, we are acutely aware of our role in accessing and offering wines that impress us and offer the client value. In the last five years we have ceased dealing with several Burgundian estates who had ratchetted up their release prices to levels that we judged not to be beneficial to our clients. To fill the void, we are constantly exploring lesser known estates to see if we can find new growers and wines to offer; after all, Burgundy is teeming with talented winemakers, and the overall level of quality must surely be close to an all-time high.”
It is difficult to overstate the value offered here for wines that are surely only set to become more in demand. Please also note that this offer focuses solely on the Grands Crus of Rossignol-Trapet with no necessity to buy lesser wines as is normally the practice for en primeur offers.
2019 Chambertin, Grand Cru, Domaine Rossignol-Trapet
£995 per 6 bottle case in bond
96-98 points, Jasper Morris MW, insideburgundy.com
Medium depth of colour on the crimson to light purple axis. The nose has a sense of serenity and harmony. Lightly oaked, softly beguiling red fruit without specifying which berry. Total harmony again on the palate, a most gracious whole, with superb length. Ripe but balanced intense deep red fruit. Some strawberry notes now but invidious to pick out any single fruit. Bravo, a really gorgeous expression of both the vineyard and the village.
2019 Latricières-Chambertin, Grand Cru, Domaine Rossignol-Trapet
£660 per 6 bottle case in bond
93-95 points, Jasper Morris MW, insideburgundy.com
This has a deep crimson colour and some deep ripe dark raspberry waiting to be coaxed out. The aromatics grow and grow. The same feeling is apparent on the palate as once again the fruit grows in volume towards the back. This is quite ripe, with a little bit of crushed strawberry here, but the wine delivers a delicious mouthful of persistent, balanced fruit.
2019 Chapelle-Chambertin, Grand Cru, Domaine Rossignol-Trapet
£660 per 6 bottle case in bond
93-95 points, Jasper Morris MW, insideburgundy.com
I thought this might be more a Latricières year than a Chapelle vintage, but actually this 2019 Chapelle-Chambertin is performing very well. Deeper in colour, crimson tending to purple, very intense fruit in a fresher raspberry style, fills out nicely, some elegance to this, and a very good finish. Pure clean and stylish because it is more restrained in style, with a little touch of velvet.
Jasper Morris MW doesn't typically include drink dates but we would recommend drinking no earlier than 2026 and drinking up by 2043.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Take care,
Richard