2007 Thierry et Pascale Matrot - Puligny-Montrachet Les Chalumeaux 1er Cru

From another of those family vineyards around Blagny that until the 1950s were still being pressed on location by Thierry Matrot’s grandfather, the 2007 Puligny-Montrachet Les Chalumeaux is seductively scented with lily, heliotrope, and high-toned, distilled pistachio, almond, and pit fruit essences; concentrates these fruits and flowers on a polished yet firmly-textured and invigoratingly citric palate; and finishes with saline savor of shrimp shell reduction and exhilarating lift. While Matrot is keen to bottle his wines in a reductive state, it strikes me that the volatility presupposed by this wine's kaleidoscopic, high-toned aromatic display implies a certain level of positive oxidation. But I am no chemists. All I can confidently report is that this represents an extraordinary expression of its vintage and high-altitude terroir, and one that I fully expect will remain fascinating for a decade. 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

Complex, rather delicate nose melds peach, red grapefruit, clove, menthol, almond and white flowers. Tighter and more penetrating than the Charmes, in a distinctly steely, minerally style. Youthfully austere and classically dry on the back end, hiding more than it's showing today but long on the aftertaste. A classically crisp example of this high-altitude vineyard.