Situated in Chassagne-Montrachet in the south of the Cote d'Or, Chateau de la Maltroye has been a family property since 1939. It is easily recognizable by its 18th century, glazed tile roof. The vineyard encompasses over 32 acres in Chassagne-Montrachet and 5 acres in Santenay.
The Château de Maltroye is a wonderfully restored bourgeois house. Built in the 18th century over the burnt-out ruin of a previous (15th century) building; the beautiful vaulted cellars date from that older house. It is a real compliment to the current owner, Jean-Pierre Cornut. The domaine today covers around 15 hectares – 2 of which are Santenay, the rest is Chassagne, 40% of the total is red. Jean-Pierre points to the change of fashion: both the Clos St.Jean and Boudriottes were at one time almost all pinot noir. Jean-Pierre restricts yield by green harvesting. The reds are fully de-stemmed and go into temperature-controlled tanks for a 10-14 day cold maceration, before completing fermentations in a roughly 30 day cuvaison. The whites start their fermentations in stainless steel and are then transferred to the barrels when part fermented. The barrels for the reds are kept underground, and the whites at ground-level, but the white ‘cellar’ is temperature controlled. Sometimes Jean-Pierre will warm the cellar to prolong his fermentation, or cool it to try and precipitate the tartrates from the whites while still in barrel.
Jean-Pierre Cornut, the current wine-grower, has magnificently reinvigorated this domain which now produces some of the best Chassagne-Montrachet on the market. Indeed, the whites made by Jean-Pierre are vibrant, intense, and thrilling. Chassagne naturally lends power and richness to chardonnay, but Cornut is expert in retaining and extracting great tangy acidity and mineral depth to match.
There is a hing of phenolic character (olive oil nuances) to the aromas of petrol, citrus and apple. The racy, delicious and appealingly textured mid-weight flavors terminate in a very clean, bone-dry and lightly austere finish. This well made effort will need at least a few years of keeping to unwind.
