The VINE, Clive Coates MW

GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN 1995
From the Brochon side. Fine colour. Big and sturdy. Fat and rich. Good fruit.

GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN PETITE CHAPELLE 1995
This is plump, gently oaky, femine and very well balanced. Discreet but nicely intense. Long and stylish. Very good plus. From 2003.

GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN CLOS PRIEUR 1995
More substance. More depth. Fullish, ample and fruity. Good grip. Good tannins. This is showing very well. Long and generous. Very good indeed. From 2004.

CHAPELLE-CHAMBERTIN 1995
Very good colour. Lovely rich nose. The vines are on the Griottes side and always ripen better than Latricières, says Jean-Louis. This is very fine. Good grip and intensity. Very stylish. Long. Promising. From 2005.

LATRICIERES-CHAMBERTIN 1995
Full, rich and meaty. Ripe and ample. Nicely concentrated, abundantly fruity and long on the palate. Fine. From 2005.

CHAMBERTIN 1995
Full, backward, rather richer and more powerful. A very lovely, masculine wine here. Very complete. Very black fruity in character. Good oaky background. This is special. Very intense. Very, Very long. Very fine. From 2006.

International Wine Cellar Steven Tanzer

The soft-spoken, articulate Jean-Louis Trapet has been taking the talk for several years ; now his wines are finally walking the walk. Trapet has taken many important steps to improve quality, beginning in the vineyard. He is a member of a group of young vignerons who, while they do not follow completely organic precepts, have drastically reduced vineyard treatments.

Trapet is doing additional pruning to get more sun on his fruit ; previously one had to go up to grand cru level here to to find wines with adequate ripeness.
Trapet has also made a host of changes in vinification and élevage : chaptalization has been reduced ; maceration and fermentation have been prolonged, partly by reducing pigeage ; and more new oak is now used. Trapet has been able to eliminate a racking in the past two vintage. He racked without the presence of air to preserve the more delicate 94's juice. Filtration has been discontinuated, and at the time of my visit Trapet planned to bottle the 95's without fining either.

GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN CLOS PRIEUR 1995
Good medium color, Spicy, smoky nose, with a faint whiff of raw meat ; needs a racking. Fresh, spicy ripe fruit offers moderate flavor interest. Somewhat severe today owing to firm tannins, but there is good material here. 84.86

GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN PETITE CHAPELLE 1995
Very good color. Coffee, smoke and a whiff of vegetal complexity. Sweeter and suppler than the above ; a wine of greater finesse. Finishes with finer tannins. Very attractive juice. 86.89

CHAPELLE-CHAMBERTIN 1995
Complex, pure aromas of cherry, smoke and herbs, plus a faint animal quality ; very Gevrey. Very ripe but bright cherry and redcurrant fruits suggests strong extract.
Plenty of structure and grip. This is the Trapet' s "hottest" in term of soil and site, and generally the highest in alcohol. Offers excellent potential. 88.91

LATRICIERES-CHAMBERTIN 1995
In contrast to the Chapelle, this is from colder, more gravelly soil, which tends to preserve the finer Pinotaromas through slower ripening of fruit.Very good color. Tighter, more disrcet aromas, with a suggestion of animal fur. Suave and smooth ; has a lovely subtle flavor intensity. With aeration, this showed, sappy, textured currant and cherry fruit. Finishes with fine, even tannins. Classier than Chapelle. 89.92

CHAMBERTIN 1995
Excellent red ruby-color. Highly nuanced, faintly sauvage aromas of smoke, clove, iron, coffee and herbs.
Big, rich and enveloping ; a step up in sweetness and length.
Terrific fruit/acid balance. Noteworthy finesse. Superbe juice ! 91.94.
These '95s hold out the potential to be the finest wines from this estate in a generation.

Jason Brandt Lewis, march 1998 :

1995 GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN VIEILLES VIGNES : brilliant ruby red, clear and bright ; dense fragrant nose filied with ripe cherries, red raspberries and strawberries, coupled with sweet oak and deep earth, with smokey accents underneath ; on the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, bursting forth with ripe fruit and spice ; the firm tannins beneath the ample fruit and good acidity bode well for aging (this wine was still evolving and opening after 3+ hours, but by then the bottle was empty and all we could smell was our empty glasses ! ) ; the finish has moderate astringcy along with lingering flavors. Wonderful, but definitely a "vin de garde".

Jean Louis Trapet, is attempting to return this estate back to its glory years of four decades ago. Efforts are being made in the vineyard (lower yieleds and later-harvested fruit) and in the winery (fining and filtration have been abandonned). Aromatically, the dark ruby colored.

GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN
Vieilles Vignes reveals intense scents of perfume, cinnamon and cassis. It possesses Asian Spices, cherries, earth and wild game flavors in its medium-to-full bodied, well extracted, dense palate. Delicious now, it should be drunk between 1999-2005

The equally opaque GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN PETITE CHAPELLE displays an appealingly sweet nose of red and black cherries and tangy currants on the nose.
It has a beautifullly supple, velvety-textured, medium-to-full bodied personality packed with blueberries and raspberries.
This potentially outstanding wine has gorgeously ripe, round tannins that will allow it to age gracefully. Anticipated maturity : 2002-2009.

Displaying mouth-watering aromas of grilled meats, smoke, blackberries and redcurrants, the CHAPELLE-CHAMBERTIN possesses a dense, silky, full-bodied palate replete with red cherries, herbs and admirably well-integated oak notes of vanilla and bacon.

Concentrated and powerful, yet delineated, feminine and elegant, this exceptional wine has the requise tannins for extended cellaring yet also possesses the luscious forward fruit desired for ealy drinking. Drink between 2000-2012.

The dark-ruby-colored LATRICIERES-CHAMBERTIN reveals aromas of blackberries, cherries, coffe, earth and minerals and superb flavors reminiscent of game berries, Asian spices and a slight touch of underbrush for added complexity. Concentrated and highly-extracted, this elegant yet masculine full-bodied wine is extremely well made and structured. Anticipated maturity : 2004-2012.

The dark-colored CHAMBERTIN ' s bouquet of black cherries, roasted spices and mocha jumps from the glass. This fabulously ripe and intense wine is packed with flavors suggesting stones, minerals and blackberries, in its regal, full-bodied and thick personality. Slightly rugged and backward, it will require extended cellaring before ready to drink. Projected peak of maturity :2004-2015.