Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
Joseph Matrot (1881-1963), the grandson of owners of a family wine estate in Puligny-Montrachet and Blagny, lived with his wife, Marguerite Amoignon, and their three children at Château d’Evelle. Marguerite also owned a beautiful wine estate in Meursault. In 1914, they took up residence in Marguerite’s family home, which is today the seat of Domaine Matrot, and decided to develop and extend the estate. Over the course of generations, Domaine Matrot continued to expand with the addition of new vineyard holdings, and in 2000 began harvesting the vineyards organically. Today, sisters Adèle and Elsa Matrot are in charge of the management and winemaking of the Domaine, ensuring that the family-run domaine will be in good hands for many years to come. Observing careful cultivation and vinification techniques, Domaine Matrot wines offer purity of fruit and terroir-driven character.
Known to offer a magical balance of smoothness and freshness, Meursault's quality is hard to rival. The village lies in the middle of Côte de Beaune, just south of Volnay. Meursault is said to mean “mouse’s jump” because in the past the plots producing Pinot Noir and those producing Chardonnay were no more than a mouse’s jump from one another. Today the village is almost exclusively Chardonnay. A tiny bit of Pinot Noir is produced here with the best coming from Les Santenots on its northern side near Volnay.
While there are no Grands Crus, Meursault’s numerous acclaimed Premiers Crus can compete with any other top-notch white Burgundy. Some to know are Les Perrières, Les Genevrières, Les Charmes, Le Poruzot, Les Bouchères and Les Gouttes d’Or.
Meursault produces outstanding village level wines as well. In general great Premiers Crus and even village level Meursault (Chardonnay) have enticing aromas of lime peel, tropical fruit, crushed rocks, spice and hazelnut. On the palate there is a wonderful balance of brightness and a seductive length with flavors of white peach, pineapple and citrus.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.