Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru "Capita"

Jean-Louis Trapet, seventh generation, made a deliberate philosophical break from the reductive, oxygen-shy winemaking fashionable across the Côte de Nuits — instead keeping his wines open throughout vinification and ageing, adding sulphur only at bottling. That choice defines Capita as much as its address does.

The Premier Cru vineyards of Gevrey-Chambertin sit on the mid-slope of the Côte de Nuits, where limestone subsoil and a mix of clay and gravel topsoil concentrate mineral tension and restrain the natural generosity of the 2020 growing season. All vines are Demeter-certified biodynamic, farmed without synthetic inputs.

In the cellar: hand-harvest with double sorting (up to 10% crop rejected), native-yeast fermentation in open vats with partial whole-cluster inclusion, light extraction via punch-down early then gentle pump-overs only, and 18–20 months in French oak barriques at 30–40% new oak for Premier Cru fruit.

The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered. What sets Capita apart within its tier is the combination of high whole-cluster percentage and zero sulphur through ageing — a pairing almost no Gevrey peer attempts — producing fine-grained tannins and vivid aromatic clarity rather than the extracted, oak-driven weight the appellation is known for.

The 2020 vintage delivered ripeness and structure; expect this to drink well from 2027 through 2042.