“Focused and direct and very good for the price.” That’s the Bourgogne Blanc. It’s red counterpart is an “excellent example of generic burgundy – has lively fruit, fine tannins and unexpected length, all at a good price.” Those particular notes from Jancis Robinson’s faithful sidekick Julia Harding MW tell part of the story. We were unashamedly, and somewhat unhopefully, searching for that ever-elusive holy grail: great-value burgundy.
But like I say, just part of the story. We were striving to find Meursault. Not the village but the essence – flavour, gunflint, silk and seduction. And, yes, we wanted more. We yearned for brilliance. And that’s what we found, as Burghound’s evocation of the Perrières attests: “Like several of the wines in the range in 2014 this is impressively dense with a focused power to the chiselled medium weight flavours that also coat the palate with sap, all wrapped in a classy, dry and hugely long finale. This is pretty much textbook Perrières that should amply reward extended cellaring. Bravo!”
Bravo indeed! 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.
Thierry Matrot observes the mantra that a wine should reflect its terroir and its vintage, and attentive work in the vineyards is the first step in preserving their precise characteristics. The family moved to organic fertilisers upon his arrival on the scene in 1976, when he and his father adopted a lutte raisonnée approach to the vines. The rational progression from here was full organic viticulture across all the vineyards of Domaine Matrot from the year 2000. The family uses organic manure and ploughs the land, employing rigorous pruning and then disbudding in spring to control yields. If necessary, a green harvest takes place before véraison. Health and ripeness are assiduously observed in order to pick at the perfect time.
The Matrots exercise extreme care with barrel hygiene and temperature control during vinification, enjoying long and uneventful ferments for eight to ten weeks. They also check the quality of the lees during the maturation process and adjust bâtonnage to the need of each parcel and vintage.
We’re pleased to offer a relatively broad selection of Matrot wines, including a trio of red burgundies, all of which smack deliciously of this corner of the Côte de Beaune, and of a family very much at home there.
THE WINES
2014 Matrot Bourgogne Aligoté RRP $34 screwcap
100% Aligoté from vines with an average age of 50 years. Pressed as whole bunches in a pneumatic press. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts in tanks over eight to 10 weeks at temperatures of 16-18°C. Undergoes complete MLF and is matured on lees for eight months. Racked once before bottling.
2014 Matrot Bourgogne Blanc RRP $47 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.
Aroma is really quite complex for a bourgogne – there’s fresh cedary citrus fruit but also something a little torrefied but not coffee, more nutty. Focused and direct and very good for the price. 15.5/20 Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
An ultra-fresh and fruity nose combines notes of melon, pear and white peach hints that lead to racy, intense and delineated flavors that possess good volume before terminating in a delicious and refreshing if not especially complex finale. 86 points. Allen Meadows, Burghound
2014 Matrot Meursault RRP $136 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.
Very ripe, almost candied aromas of stone fruits and butter. Silky, full and sweet for village wine although not particularly complex. The firm finish will not get in the way of early enjoyment. 87-90 points. Stephen Tanzer, Vinous Media
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
Fine notes of fresh grapefruit on the nose, with a touch of steely minerality. The texture is creamy enough to balance the crisp acidity. Not particularly concentrated but nicely balanced with a long, fresh finish. 16/20 Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
2014 Matrot Meursault 1er Cru Blagny RRP $176
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
(the crop level of 44 hectoliters per hectare was healthy for the vintage): Musky reduction to the aromas of lime, quinine and crushed stone. Ripe lemon and lime flavors are lifted by a distinctly Puligny-like floral character and harmonious acidity. A step up from the Meursault villages in energy and length. 89-92 points. Stephen Tanzer, Vinous Media
A little more obviously oaked than the village Meursault but it has the fruit to carry it. Tight, crisp and lively with green apple and citrus. The oak spice comes back on the finish. 16.5/20 Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
2014 Matrot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes RRP $200
Vines with an average age of 37 years.
Delicate note of struck match. The same on the palate but also a little creamy. Direct and piercing fresh fruit, good length and very pure. 17/20 Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
(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
This is sufficiently reduced that I would strongly recommend 30 minutes or so of aeration if you’re going to crack a bottle anytime soon. Otherwise there is both excellent volume and intensity to the lightly mineral-inflected and solidly well-concentrated flavors that coat the palate with sap, all wrapped in a notably firm and built-to-age finale where a hint of bitter lemon appears. This lovely effort is definitely going to require patience. 92 points. Allen Meadows, Burghound
Pale yellow. Reduced aromas of wet stone, pineapple and vanilla; comes across as a bit exotic in spite of its rigorous minerality. Dense and sweet on the palate, but distinctly rocky, with strong saline minerality contributing energy. This rather masculine, broad-shouldered wine is dry and backward today but has the energy and stony minerality to evolve gracefully. The salty quality carries through on the long finish. 92-94 points. Stephen Tanzer, Vinous Media
2013 Matrot Bourgogne Rouge RRP $56 screwcap
The expressive nose is very pinot in character with its almost entirely red berry fruit aromas that reveal hints of spice and earth. The delicious, textured, vibrant and detailed flavors exude a slight salinity on the clean, fruity and linear finish. This is clearly intended to be enjoyed young. 86 points. Allen Meadows, Burghound
2014 Matrot Bourgogne Rouge RRP $56 screwcap
Screwcap. Lightish cherry red. Juicy and with that tightness that I like from this combination of closure and wine style. Excellent example of generic burgundy – has lively fruit, fine tannins and unexpected length, all at a good price. Fine tannins are just right with the lightish body. 15.5/20 Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com January 2016
An exuberantly fresh and fruity nose speaks of various red berries along with a hint of earth. There is both good vibrancy and detail to the delicious, forward and easy-going flavors that offer acceptable length but not much depth on the finish that is less rustic than usual. 85 points. Allen Meadows, Burghound June 2015
2014 Matrot Meursault Rouge RRP $93
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
2014 Matrot Blagny 1er Cru La Pièce sous le Bois RRP $152
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 malolactic fermentation and then again before bottling.
Light to mid crimson. Very sweet-fruited on the nose, almost a touch of caramel. Then more savoury on the palate and the tannins counteracting that initial sweetness. Tannins are dry but fine-boned. Not particularly rich but there’s freshness and harmony. 16/20 Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
The impressively complex violet and pungently earth-infused aromas are more elegant if ever-so-slightly less ripe. The seductively textured middle weight flavors possess plenty of structure-buffering dry extract that imparts a sappy mouth feel to the firm, dusty and strikingly persistent mineral-driven finish that evidences a mild touch of austerity. While qualitatively similar to the Santenots the underlying character is completely different as this is more focused and less powerful while offering much more refinement. 91 points. Allen Meadows, Burghound