A Burgundian offering value?!

This year was only our second visit to Rapet and there are a couple of themes that start to solidify in my mind about this domaine. Firstly, the family are old-school. Secreted away in Pernand, there's a sense of the old Burgundy here; there's generosity and humility in the way Robin presents the wines which is disarming and refreshing. "Can we go up to the vineyards and drink a bottle with you", we ask. Of course we can, he says and when he produces the bottle it's a magnificent bottle of old Corton! Generous!

The second thing that strikes hard is the quality and style of the wines. The 2022s are a step up on the beautiful 2021s, but it's the same style that got us in the first time that really resonates; the vividity of the fruit, of the connection to site. Everything sits so beautifully within the envelope; pure and limpid and never over-worked. MICHAEL MCNAMARA

The most famous producer based in Pernand-Vergelesses is Bonneau du Martray, one of the top names in Corton-Charlemagne, while Domaines Dubreuil-Fontaine, Rapet, and Rollin also produce fine ranges of wine. JASPER MORRIS MW, insideburgundy.com

That’s a super range of wines – all with class – and a couple of the reds are worth an investment of your time to make special search…BILL NANSON, burgundyreport.com

The unassuming Vincent Rapet, whose family can trace its roots in Pernand back to 1795, is now joined by his son Robin at the helm of this historic 20-hectare domaine. There's a long track record here, and I can extol the merits of the domaine's older wines from personal experience: the 1979 is among the best mature examples of Corton-Charlemagne I've tasted. As I've written before, vinification is pretty classical, with the whites whole-cluster pressed and fermented in barrels (some 20% of which are new), including larger formats, as well as a few concrete eggs for some cuvées; Rapet believes them to give a more tensile, fresher profile to the wine. The reds, which have improved in recent years, see a brief cold soak, followed by some 15 days of maceration, maturing in around 30% new wood from carefully chosen sources, including Chassin and Taransaud. WILLIAM KELLEY, wineadvocate.com

2022 Vintage: With 2022 we are very happy. We had 60mm of rain in June which, with another small episode in August, helped us to get through to the harvest without too much stress, given the heat and dry conditions… We have 13 hectares of red here but it’s lower yielding than white so it’s normally about the same volume for both. The malos were fast here in 2022. I think the whites are richer than the reds but less rich when compared to 2020. We are more classically red-fruited in 22 vs the darker fruits of 2020 – I think much more balanced too. ROBIN RAPET talking to Bill Nanson, burgundyreport.com

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You might remember we first stumbled across a bottle of Rapet at the local sushi train in Beaune – a bottle Combottes Pernand Vergelesses. We were enamoured by its flinty tension and bold core of citrus and stonefruits all complemented by a lick of spicy oak.

The PWS team visited again this year and smooth-talking Roscoe talked current custodian, Robin Rapet into taking a bottle of Corton up the top of the hill. Ask Michael or Roscoe about the experience and their eyes light up  - Robin's explanation about the ins and outs of the mighty Grand Cru hill of Corton and Corton-Charlemagne was explained fully in the glass. Their transparency and articualtion of place is captivating.

Robin is an earnest and humble winemaker. Their winery, built into the mother rock, sits at the edge of the village of Pernand Vergelesses, looking directly onto the hill of Corton. It’s impressive yet unassuming, just like Robin and his wines.

Like many of the great estates they have history, a collection of great sites and an energetic and thoughtful younger generation at the helm.  Based in Pernand Vergelesses, along with Aloxe-Corton and Ladoix, these three villages share the Grand Cru beauties of Corton and Corton-Charlemagne. They also have excellent sites in Beaune and Savigny Les Beaune – they’ve had skin in the game since 1765.

The wines of Pernand Vergelesses, both white and red sit at the junction of two valleys among the hills of the Côte de Beaune. They have altitude which injects vibrancy while the steep slopes keep the yields at bay and offer exposure. The soils are a magical mix of limestone marl with silica and iron lending a minerally undertow to both the whites are reds. The cut of the whites complements smoke and flinty notes while offering a crystalline purity. While the reds can be a touch cool and reticent in their youth, they age majestically. Their tannins unravel like a floating staircase.

You may have noticed the resurgence around the mighty hill of Corton lately.  DRC is now making a Corton and Corton Charlemagne and the change in ownership at Bonneau du Martray (and its increasing price tag) has made us all take note. The wines of Rapet offer detailed terroir specificity alongside value – a rarity on the golden slope these days!

This is our second shipment and we’ve finally been granted access to their Grand Cru, Corton-Charlemagne. I cannot recommend this full set of Rapet’s highly enough if expressive Burgundy is your mojo. It’s a riveting set of Burgundies from a family who have been working their sites for over 150 years. They’re insightful and expressive wines, void of fanfare. They pinpoint their expressions with utmost care, all the vines are organically farmed. What’s better, they’re some of the best prices you’ll find from this hallowed Golden Slope.     

Cheers

Gabrielle Poy