Matrot

History of Domaine Matrot

It all began with Simon Boillot (1835–1924), a winegrower in Meursault and grandfather of Marguerite Amoignon, who cultivated his family's vines and those of his wife. At the same time, Claude Matrot (1849–1933), a wine merchant like his father, developed a passion for vineyards and acquired three decisive plots in 1900: Puligny-Montrachet Les Chalumeaux 1er Cru, Meursault-Blagny 1er Cru, and Blagny La Pièce sous le Wood 1er Cru, which still form the heart of the range today.

His son Joseph Matrot (1881–1963) inherited both the skills of the wine trade and winemaking expertise. In 1904, he married Marguerite Amoignon, who owned an estate in Meursault with her brother Charles. Charles’s death during the First World War led the couple to settle in the family home at 12 rue de Martray, which became and remains the headquarters of Domaine Matrot. Their son Pierre Matrot (1923–2004) began working in the vineyards in 1937, bought plots in Meursault, Auxey-Duresses, and Monthélie, and modernized the estate. Thierry Matrot, born in 1955, joined the estate in 1976 after studying viticulture and oenology in Beaune, and his father entrusted him with winemaking from 1983 onward. In January 2000, Thierry and Pascale Matrot created the company bearing their name and further expanded the vineyard. Their daughters later joined them, Elsa in 2008 and Adèle in 2010, both graduates in viticulture, oenology, and wine trade. In 2012, they invested in a plot in Maranges to broaden the range, and have managed the estate ever since.

Terroirs and Vines of Domaine Matrot

The heart of the vineyard lies in Meursault, a Côte de Beaune village renowned for its great white wines and supple, elegant reds. The estate has a remarkable heritage there, notably the premier crus Les Perrières, renowned for its taut minerality, Les Charmes, broader and more generous, and Blagny, located at altitude on cooler soils. In Puligny-Montrachet, the plots of Les Combettes, neighboring Meursault, and Les Chalumeaux, higher up the slope, rank among the finest terroirs of the appellation.

The estate also extends into Blagny with the premier cru La Pièce sous le Wood, into Volnay with the red enclave of Santenots, as well as Auxey-Duresses, Monthélie, Saint-Romain, and Maranges. The grape varieties planted are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Aligoté. From the 1960s onward, the estate was not spared the wave of all-chemical farming, but Thierry's arrival in 1976 marked a break: chemical fertilizers were abandoned in favor of organic manure, and integrated pest management was gradually introduced, adapting products and dosages to each disease. In 2000, the entire vineyard switched to sustainable farming. The soils are plowed, yields are controlled from pruning and bud thinning onward, and green harvesting is carried out before veraison when necessary.

Winemaking at Domaine Matrot

Only ripe, healthy grapes enter the winery, with grape health, yields, and ripeness monitored with constant rigor before the harvest date is set. The whites are whole-bunch pressed in a pneumatic press. A few days before harvest, a yeast starter is prepared so that only the estate’s indigenous yeasts are used. Fermentations are deliberately long and temperature-controlled, generally between 18 and 20 degrees for whites, and may last eight to ten weeks in oak barrels.

The estate takes exceptional care over barrel hygiene and selects the lees that will accompany each wine during aging. The wines rest in 228-liter oak barrels for eleven to eighteen months, with barrels one to five years old used mainly for whites, and only 10 to 20% new oak for reds. Lees stirring is adapted to the vintage, malolactic fermentation is completed 100%, and a single racking followed by filtration precedes bottling. This approach, which aims to age wines without altering their character, produces wines of great purity that are best left for a few years after bottling. The whites benefit from decanting to release their complexity, while the reds prefer aeration in the glass.

The cuvées of Domaine Matrot

Bourgogne Aligoté opens the white wine range with a lively, lemony wine, driven by crisp acidity and refreshing salinity, ideal as an aperitif. Bourgogne Chardonnay is already remarkably charming, with aromatic intensity and impressive palate depth for its appellation, ranging from white peach and apricot to ripe pear and fresh hazelnut. Saint-Romain, from a high-altitude village with cooler soils, delivers a precise, mineral Chardonnay marked by citrus fruit and a chalky finish with fine energy.

The village-level Meursault expresses all the generosity of its terroir, with a full, flavorful palate, notes of white fruit, almond, and fresh butter, supported by discreet oak. Meursault-Blagny 1er Cru, planted at altitude on leaner soils, stands out for its tension and minerality, with vibrant acidity and saline length that ensure aging potential of fifteen years or more. Meursault-Charmes 1er Cru embodies the village’s elegance and roundness, with roasted hazelnut, acacia honey, and ripe white fruit, in a silky texture of great harmony. Meursault-Perrières 1er Cru is the pinnacle of the estate in Meursault: with striking mineral depth, it combines restrained power, notes of gunflint and candied citrus, and exceptional persistence that fully unfolds after a decade in the cellar.

In Puligny-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet Les Chalumeaux 1er Cru, acquired by the family as early as 1900, charms with aromas of candied lemon, popcorn, vanilla, and flint, a generous palate, and remarkable freshness. Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er Cru, located on the border with Meursault, combines the richness of its neighbor with Puligny’s verticality, with a nose marked by flint, herbs, and lemon zest, and superb saline length. Puligny-Montrachet La Quintessence 1er Cru is the estate’s most confidential Puligny cuvée, a very high-level selection that takes concentration and mineral definition even further. The L'Effronté cuvée completes the white wine range with an atypical, confidential bottle that ventures off the beaten track and reflects the freedom the Matrot sisters allow themselves beyond the classic appellations.

Among the reds, Bourgogne Pinot Noir offers a supple, fruity wine with cherry and raspberry notes, mellow tannins, and immediate drinkability. Maranges Vieilles Vignes, from the south of the Côte de Beaune, brings more substance and generous dark fruit, with particularly attractive value for money. Auxey-Duresses is fresh and spicy, while Monthélie, neighboring Volnay, offers a floral, delicate profile of violet and small red berries.

Meursault Rouge is a sought-after rarity: this Pinot Noir from Meursault, an appellation primarily devoted to whites, develops crunchy red fruit, a fine texture, and remarkable freshness. Maranges La Fussière 1er Cru is a structured, rich wine with firm tannins, marked by dark fruit and licorice, which benefits greatly from a few years in the cellar. Volnay Santenots 1er Cru, from the famous red enclave located in the commune of Meursault, combines finesse and depth, with aromas of blackcurrant, blueberry, and undergrowth, and an elegant, full, silky palate. Finally, Blagny La Pièce sous le Wood 1er Cru, acquired by the family in 1900, is one of the Côte de Beaune's most distinctive reds: planted at altitude on the border between Meursault and Puligny, it delivers a taut, wild, mineral Pinot Noir with firm tannins and saline length, requiring patience to reveal its full complexity.