Domaine Rossignol-Trapet | Gevrey-Chambertin

The Rossignols of Volnay were linked by marriage to the Trapet family when Jacques Rossignol married Jean- Louis Trapet’s aunt, Mado. The original Trapet holdings were split when the sons of both families – David and Nicolas Rossignol and Jean-Louis Trapet – returned from their studies. In 2005, Nicolas and David began the conversion to biodynamic viticulture. The wines of today are imbued with a greater purity and concentration and the vines themselves are healthier and stronger. The vineyards were officially certified organic and biodynamic in 2008. These are classical Gevrey Chambertin wines, approachable relatively early but in the best years with admirable ageing potential.

The cellar, which is partly subterranean, was built in 1983. A row of lights around the cellar walls indicate ground level. The water table lies almost immediately beneath the cellar, perhaps explaining the 95% humidity level. The domaine does not rack the wines off their fine lees after the malolactic conversion, which is always finished by the end of November. Barrels, from François Frères, Rousseau and Chassin, are given a medium-long toast and dried for 36 months.