Matrot's new-wooded blend of fruit from Chalumeaux and a tiny parcel of La Garenne, the 2007 Puligny-Montrachet La Quintessence is – as in previous renditions – rather obviously oaky in the nose. He utilizes low-toast barrels in an effort to – as he puts it – "respect the minerality of La Garenne," but while there are certainly saline elements detectable here, I do not perceive them as well woven-in. More impressive are the persistent, high-toned citrus and nut oil as well as floral perfume that I detect as being an unquenchable legacy of the Chalumeaux. (There is essentially no difference between the roughly 40% Chalumeaux contribution to this blend and the wine that is bottled under than vineyard name.) All in all, this cuvee is certainly impressively concentrated, and may with time harmonize, but I can see no reason for it in the context of Matrot's portfolio. It originated in a vintage when the crop of La Garenne was so tiny that Matrot didn't want to bottle it on its own, but even if it were vinified in tank and topped-off with Chalumeaux, my intuition is that the resultant wine would be better-balanced and possessed of a more eloquent voice.
Thierry Matrot defied not just convention, but also my attempts to make sense of the 2007 vintage – forcing me, ultimately, to simply treat him as an exception – since he proudly confessed to a Chardonnay harvest that began in the last days of August, yet the results are simply superb, not to mention far more distinctively delicious than those he obtained in 2006 (when – again in contrarian fashion – he picked late). And he rendered his outstanding 2007s – he claims – without chaptalization, the wines finishing in the upper 12s of percent alcohol. "2005 and 2005 were more honeyed and rich, but 2007 corresponds more to my style of cuisine," says Matrot, adding that while he harvested 2004 late, those wines were not as ripe as these 2007s, which he is more inclined to compare with 2002. Matrot bottles early – usually immediately after racking and assembling (although very late malos in 2008 threatened to wreck havoc with that habit) – and, incidentally, has been so pleased with his experimental use of screw cap closures (including for all of his half bottles since vintage 2004) that he has now expanded their use to incorporate his village wine in 750.
Importers: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802 and Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel. (212) 419-1400
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