Domaine Matrot is a well-regarded Meursault family estate with holdings spanning several Côte de Beaune appellations, and the inclusion of Corton-Charlemagne in the estate’s portfolio represents a significant elevation from its core Meursault identity. Corton-Charlemagne is the only Grand Cru white wine appellation in the Côte de Nuits-adjacent zone of the Corton hill, straddling the communes of Aloxe-Corton, Ladoix-Serrigny and Pernand-Vergelesses to produce Chardonnay of formidable power, mineral depth and longevity from its distinctive marly limestone soils. The wines of Corton-Charlemagne are typically the most structured and age-demanding of the Côte de Beaune white Grand Crus, requiring patience that Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet rarely demand, but rewarding it with a complexity and breadth that few white Burgundies in any appellation can match.

The 2021 Corton-Charlemagne vintage was shaped by the same spring frost events that affected the entire Côte de Beaune, with significantly reduced yields producing wines of unusual concentration and structural intensity at the finest estates. For Corton-Charlemagne specifically, where the naturally firm, mineral character of the Grand Cru can produce wines of austere austerity in cooler, lower-yield vintages, the 2021’s combination of excellent natural acidity and frost-concentrated fruit provides the conditions for a wine of outstanding age-worthiness and mineral precision that will develop over fifteen or more years from harvest.

Matrot’s Corton-Charlemagne production is small, reflecting both the domaine’s limited holdings in this prestigious Grand Cru and the 2021 vintage’s further reduction of yields through frost. For collectors of Grand Cru white Burgundy who seek the firm, mineral, structured expression of Corton-Charlemagne from a traditional family estate rather than the major négociants, this wine provides a genuine and serious alternative at a premium below the most celebrated names in the appellation.

Pale gold with a focused and mineral nose of lemon, fresh herbs, chalk, flint, toasted almond and a reserved stone fruit character from the Corton-Charlemagne marly limestone terroir. Full-bodied with excellent natural acidity, outstanding mineral structure from the low-yield 2021 vintage and a very long, austere, Grand Cru finish. Best from 2028 through 2042.