I would characterise 2015 at this address as an unqualified success.
Allen Meadows, Burghound
“2015 was a great vintage for us,” says Adèle Matrot. The Meursault domaine, whose wines we began importing last year, took in a normal yield of Chardonnay. Red production was down by around half, thanks to hail damage in 2014 and the hot summer of ’15. The heat and lack of rain in June and July was well documented, but the Matrot holdings were nicely freshened up with a couple of days of rain around 20th August. This got the vines to back on track for healthy ripening. The family began picking on 31st August and went for 15 days under sunny skies. The vintage is quite rich but with good acidity, typical minerality and great freshness. Not heavy, just very easy to taste. “Matrot is, quite rightly, known for the quality of his whites,” Allen Meadows of Burghound observes of Adèle’s father Thierry, “but he also makes very good reds that usually manage to drink well young but age well too.” The ’15 reds, as shown by the Bourgogne Rouge we’re bringing in, are concentrated with good structure and power.
To go back a bit, Domaine Matrot is a sixth-generation family estate with exceptional holdings in the Côte de Beaune, notably six hectares of village-designated plots in their home commune, plus four hectares of premier cru vineyards in Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet. The Matrots reckon a wine should reflect its terroir and its vintage, and attentive work in the vineyards is the first step in preserving their precise characteristics. They work their plots organically and meticulously, resulting in balanced crops and ripeness. That same care extends to the winery, with barrel hygiene and temperature control during vinification giving long and uneventful ferments – allied to well-judged lees work – for eight to ten weeks.
These are excellent wines, honest and expressive of place and time. We hope you’ll take the opportunity to enjoy them.
THE WINES
2015 Domaine Matrot Bourgogne Blanc RRP $49 screwcap
100% Chardonnay from vines with an average age of 30 years. Pressed as whole bunches in a pneumatic press. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts in oak barrels (up to 20% new) for eight to 10 weeks at temperatures of 18-20°C. Undergoes complete MLF and is matured on lees for 11 months with some bâtonnage. Racked once before bottling.
2015 Domaine Matrot Meursault $140 screwcap
Chardonnay from 11 parcels with an average age of 40 years. Indigenous fermentation in one- to five-year-old oak barrels. Aged on lees for 11 months with some bâtonnage.
Pale yellow. Slightly reduced aromas of lemon, lime and musky white flowers. Pliant and nicely concentrated, with ripe, well-integrated acidity. But this dry, saline wine, made without any new oak, comes across as a bit rustic today and slightly phenolic on the back end. 87-89 points. Stephen Tanzer, Vinous Media September 2016
Organic. Delicate slightly woody/cedary (not oaky) nose. Real zip and intensity on the mid palate. Zesty and with some oak spice on the finish. A real palate wakener. 16/20 Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com January 2017
2015 Domaine Matrot St Aubin 1er Cru Fleurs de Côteaux RRP $107
Vines with an average age of 35 years.
This is relatively firmly reduced so again, a thorough aeration is called for if you’re going to drink one immediately. The medium weight flavors possess a more refined mouth feel, indeed it could accurately be described as sleek, all wrapped in a rich but energetic and refreshing finish where a hint of bitter lemon emerges. This should mature quickly yet be capable of holding well. 89 points. Allen Meadows, Burghound June 2017
2011 Domaine Matrot Meursault 1er Cru Les Charmes RRP $206
Vines with an average age of 37 years.
The 2011 Meursault Charmes wraps around the palate with gorgeous depth and pure textural richness. The resonance and warmth of the fruit is incredibly inviting, while the creamy, expansive finish is pure Charmes. Expressive floral and spice notes add gorgeous inner perfume as the wine continues to show off its pedigree. This is a drop-dead gorgeous Meursault from Matrot, not to mention a wine of immense pleasure. The Charmes is a blend of parcels at the top of the hill (75%), mid-slope (15%) and bottom of the slope (10%). 94 points. Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media September 2013
Organic. Much less reductive than the straight Meursault so that the delicate, mineral dusty aroma is allowed to emerge. But it is still pretty introvert. Mind you, there’s tension and concentration and purity on the palate and good length. Succulent and mouthwatering. 17/20 Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com January 2013
2015 Domaine Matrot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières RRP $264
Vines with an average age of 56 years.
Bright yellow. Musky reduction to the fruit-driven aromas of pineapple, lemon and orange zest. Suave and fine-grained on the palate, with emerging minerality and lemony citricity giving the wine dynamism and structure despite its modest acidity. More classic and gripping than the Puligny-Montrachet La Quintessence, finishing with a touch of bitter lemon and excellent length and lift. 91-94 points. Stephen Tanzer, Vinous Media September 2016
Nutty, crab apple, white peach and a touch of slate on the finish. Spicy touches on the finish. 17/20 Richard Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com January 2017
2015 Domaine Matrot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes RRP $264
Vines with an average age of 40 years.
Medium yellow. Vibrant aromas of fresh peach, spices and white pepper. The least obviously 2015 in style to this point in my tasting, with lovely lemony cut intensifying the rich, smooth middle palate. Finishes savory, tactile & long, with a refreshing bracing quality. This almost tastes like it’s from another vintage. Matrot replanted the upper half of this vineyard three years ago but the wine does not yet include the new young vines. He plans to wait a while to replant the lower part of his holding, noting that these millerandé vines contributed more acidity to the 2015. 91-93 points. Stephen Tanzer, Vinous Media September 2016
2015 Domaine Matrot Bourgogne Rouge RRP $53 screwcap
An attractively scented nose of red and dark berry liqueur and earth is both ripe and fresh. The rich, suave and relatively full-bodied flavors possess unusually good concentration for the genre and while there are backend traces of rusticity and warmth, overall this is really quite good. 87 points. Allen Meadows, Burghound January 2017
OTHER WINES FROM MATROT
2014 Matrot Meursault RRP $140 screwcap
Chardonnay from 11 parcels with an average age of 40 years. Indigenous fermentation in one- to five-year-old oak barrels. Aged on lees for 11 months with some bâtonnage.
An ultra-fresh and attractively well-layered nose features notes of hazelnut, pear, white peach and floral scents. There is once again good volume coupled with excellent delineation on the tension and mineral-inflected medium-bodied flavors that deliver really lovely depth and length for a villages level wine. Recommended. 89 points. Allen Meadows, Burghound
2014 Matrot Meursault 1er Cru Blagny RRP $180
Vines with an average age of 35 years. Indigenous fermentation in one- to five-year-old oak barrels. Aged on lees for 11 months with some bâtonnage.
The ever-so-slightly riper nose consists of pretty floral and white orchard fruit aromas that are trimmed in hints of wet stone and wood. There is once again excellent volume and mid-palate richness to the caressing but energetic medium-bodied flavors that exhibit excellent length on the textured finale where an interesting hint of fennel appears. This too is worth a look. 91 points. Allen Meadows, Burghound
2014 Matrot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes RRP $205
Vines with an average age of 37 years.
(Matrot owns four different parcels; just 10% of the blend comes from the bottom section of the vineyard; no new oak): Strongly mineral nose shows a smoked-meat reduction. Sweet, ripe and fine-grained. Not yet complex but silky in texture and concentrated, with bright minerality carrying through to a firm, very fresh finish. A distinctly sensual Meursault but without any make-up from new barrels. 90-92 points. Stephen Tanzer, Vinous Media
2011 Domaine Matrot Meursault 1er Cru Les Charmes RRP $205
Vines with an average age of 37 years.
The 2011 Meursault Charmes wraps around the palate with gorgeous depth and pure textural richness. The resonance and warmth of the fruit is incredibly inviting, while the creamy, expansive finish is pure Charmes. Expressive floral and spice notes add gorgeous inner perfume as the wine continues to show off its pedigree. This is a drop-dead gorgeous Meursault from Matrot, not to mention a wine of immense pleasure. The Charmes is a blend of parcels at the top of the hill (75%), mid-slope (15%) and bottom of the slope (10%). 94 points. Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media September 2013
2014 Matrot Meursault Rouge RRP $96
100% Pinot Noir from vines with an average age of 30 years. The fruit is entirely destemmed before a very light crushing that keeps 20 to 30% of the grapes intact. The fruit gets a three- to six-day cold soak at 15°C before fermentation with indigenous yeasts lasting eight to 15 days. Plunged up to twice a day. Pressed off the skins with a pneumatic press. It’s matured for 11 months in oak barrels, 10 to 20% of which are new. Racked after the malolactic fermentation and then again before bottling.
A more restrained though not mute nose displays notes of cool red and dark berry aromas that exhibits hints of forest floor, earth and violet. There is good volume to the rich, seductive and caressing medium-bodied flavors that possess a sleek and vibrant mouth feel, all wrapped in a lingering if slightly less complex finale. 88 points. Allen Meadows, Burghound