2021 Domaine Matrot Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

The origins of the winery date back to the mid-19th century and floated on the vineyards of the Amoignon family. The name Amoignon was exchanged for Matrot during the First World War because that name had since been married. Thierry and Pascale Matrot are now in charge and both of their daughters also work in the company. Domaine Matrot produces a rich range of Burgundy wines from the Cote de Beaune, both white and red and from basic wines to premier cru wines.

Corton-Charlemagne is a white wine from the Côte de Beaune sub-region of the Burgundy wine region of France. It is a Grand Cru wine produced in the municipalities of Aloxe-Corton, Pernand-Vergelesses and Ladoix-Serrigny. The Corton Charlemagne appellation occupies the highest part of the Corton hill, where the slopes are steep (20-23%). The hill itself provides an exemplary geological section through the younger (145 million year old) Jurassic strata lying between Ladoix-Serrigny and Meursault. The color of the clay-rich marl soils varies from yellow via ocher to brown. Limestone alternates with marl beneath a thin layer of rendzinas. Halfway up the slope, the mainly red wines of the Corton appellation grow on soils with a significantly different character.

This Grandcru Corton-Charlemagne Meursault from Matrot is the absolute top model of which only a few hundred bottles are made. Of course the grapes are harvested by hand with natural yeasts. The whole bunches are pressed and then left to rest for 24 hours, followed by settling and pouring into barrels. The wine ferments in temperature-controlled barrels and undergoes complete malolactic fermentation. The wine is aged for 15 months on its lees in oak barrels between 1 and 2 years old and then a further 3 months of maturation in steel barrels to prepare the wine for bottling.

The 2021 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru offers attractive orchard fruit on the nose, hints of beeswax and honeysuckle, well defined and focused. The palate is certainly richer than Matrot's Meursault and Pulignys, with peach peel, dried apricot and a hint of spice in the aftertaste. Nice length. Delicious!

This fantastic wine is a great accompaniment to foie gras, whose bitterness is supported by the powerful minerality of the wine, but also to more conventional classics such as crustaceans (lobster, crawfish, crab) whose strong but delicate flesh harmonizes spectacularly with the wine. Poultry or veal in white sauces also allow the wine to stand out well, as do blue cheeses.