Portrait Of A Young Colin; Simon Colin Breathes New Life Into White Burgundy's Colin Dynasty Whilst Championing Chassagne's Rare Reds With The Same Magic
Taste Testing Simon Colin's Bourgogne Blanc Chardonnay, Chassagne Montrachet Blanc & Rouge, Les Chaumees, 1er Cru Les Vergers & Saint Aubin Premier Cru Le Charmois.
Head into the haloed lands of Chassagne-Montrachet and you're sure to quickly find out about the Colin's who are amongst the great families to work these Jurassic soils of pebbly limestone, marl and sandy topsoils, for over a century, handing their highly prized parcels of vineyards from one generation to the next who've taken the family's reputation forward through their lifetime of work. And so when a new generation emerges, it's always an occasion of rarity that begets us getting acquainted with what their philosophy will bring to the name, as they also carve out an identity for themselves.
Tracing the Colin family tree, we start off with first-generation Pierre Colin, who would pass along his domaine to his three sons, Francois, Andre and Louis. Where Andre would pass his share along to his son, Marc Colin, whose domaine bears his own name, eventually dividing it amongst Pierre Yves (of PYCM), Damien and Caroline, Louis would pass his parcels on to Bernard who would later sell his vines now under the Domaine Au Pied du Mont Chauve name, with then Francois handing over his stake to his son, the legendary Michel Colin Deleger, and in turn to Bruno and Philippe Colin, both of whom have also established their own domaines under their names. It is therefore Philippe Colin who is father to Simon, and from whom Simon has inherited two-thirds of the family's vineyards from, totaling 9.3 hectares that are spread across Chassagne-Montrachet (Chaumees, Clos St Abdon, Chenevottes, La Maltroie, Vergers and the Rouge Les Brussonnes in Morgeot), Saint-Aubin (Le Charmois), Santenay (Gravieres Rouge) and Maranges (La Fussiere Rouge).
Yet, rather than dive right into the family trade, Simon would first pursue his education in business school, before subsequently undertaking a series of apprenticeships, first with his father in Burgundy for three years, before heading over to his father's South African Topiary estate in Franschhoek, and later also spending time at his uncle Bruno's estate, then gaining more international experience at Oregon's pioneering Adelsheim winery, with finally a stint at the highly regarded Burgundian Puligny-Montrachet Domaine Etienne Sauzet. In 2017, At the age of 24, Simon would kickstart his own micro-negociant label under his own name with 9 barrels of wine made from fruit sourced across Chassagne Montrachet, Puligny Montrachet and Rully, producing wines at the regional, village and Premier Cru levels. Having gained significant experience and having now had the opportunity to experiment and find his own signature, Philippe would thus decide in 2021 to hand over two-thirds of his domaine to Simon (along with his Chassagne Montrachet cellar), retaining only his 4.5 hectares of Grand Cru parcels which he still farms and produces wines under the Domaine Philippe Colin name, having himself shifted much of his attention towards his South African project.
Upon gaining his own vineyards, Simon would immediately begin converting to organic and biodynamic farming, along with moving all winemaking to fruit from his own domaine. Channeling his learnings into his work, Simon's goal is to produce a more modern style of wine with restrained reduction, great acidity and minimal oak influence. Despite his family and the region's renown for its whites, Simon has also emphasised his desire to put equal focus onto the region's lesser known reds, which he sees as championing the true historical representation of what the region has to offer in full. As such, it's worth noting that even as two-thirds of his vineyards (6.3 hectares, 95% Chardonnay and 5% Aligote) are white, Simon also farms 3 hectares of reds in Chassagne-Montrachet, Santenay and Maranges, yielding 40% Premier Cru, 40% Village and 20% Regional wines. Upon hand harvesting, the fruit is rigorously sorted first before being lightly crushed prior to pressing. For the whites, the juice is allowed to settle for 24 hours with an effort made to preserve the solids, which are then fermented in barrel without lees stirring, using a 228-liter barrel. Using 20-25% new wood, the white wines are allowed to age for about 12 months before being given another 3-4 months in vats after which they are bottled and released. For the reds, Simon makes observations during the sorting process to estimate the amount of whole bunches to be used, typically ranging between none and all the way up to 50%. Simon keeps extraction light, employing an infusion process, with pump-overs used during the 10-15 day cuvaison period. The juices are given 48 hours to have its lees settled before being transferred to barrels (25-33% new wood) where they will age for 12-15 months. No filtration is typically done, with some fining taking place for the whites on occasion, whilst sulfur use remains minimal.
Still in his early vintages, Simon actively experiments with the use of different sized barrels, along with various ageing vessels, employing the use of 350 liter barrels for fermentation and also concrete eggs for ageing - the goal is to enhance the purity of terroir expression and minimise the influence of the ageing vessel. Beyond the cellars, Simon will likely inherit the remainder of his father's domaine in time to come, expanding his selection of Premier Cru and Grand Cru parcels, with also a project in Oregon, named Perry Colin, founded in 2024 alongside Matt Perry, focused exclusively on organic, biodynamic and regenerative Willamette Valley Chardonnay.
And so with that said, let's get down to tasting a selection of Simon's wines!
Let's go!
PS. If you're looking for Simon Colin's wines in Singapore, check out Galiena who serves as his importer!
Wine Review: Simon Colin Bourgogne Chardonnay
100% Chardonnay.
Harvested from a 1.19 hectare plot at the lower slopes of Chassagne Montrachet (Les Chenevottes), the vines here were first planted in 1996 (average age of 28 year old vines) with the soils characterised as clay and limestone heavy. It is the domaine's earliest ripening vineyard and as such is harvested first.
This is the 2023 vintage.
Tasting Notes
Colour: Straw
Aroma: Plump and creamy with a firmness, it's a touch flinty with a rich creaminess that's garnished with delicate curry leaves and quince. Fresh, bold and forward with a straightforwardness.
Taste: Medium-bodied, creamy and rich here, plush, yet with a crystalline frame to its structure. It's mineral forward with a stony quality, a touch of curry leaves, animal hide and then a more concentrated core of quince and lemon curd. The acidity is super polished, with the body really chiselled and toned.
Finish: More creamy here, drizzle of honey with a rusticity of hay. More on apricots, curry leaves, working through a firm, crystalline, concentrated finish.
My Thoughts
Punching above its weight, it's bodied yet structured, fresh and lively, whilst remaining approachable. Almost like a racing car engine that's fitted into an SUV, really. Really pretty acidity, distinct minerality, with gentle reduction, rather straight lined in flavour profile but evocative nonetheless.
Wine Review: Simon Colin Saint Aubin Premier Cru Le Charmois
100% Chardonnay.
A tiny parcel of just 0.15 hectares of young vines planted in Le Charmois' limestone dense soils.
This is the 2024 vintage.
Tasting Notes
Colour: Straw
Aroma: Bright and fresh, garnishes of curry leaves and flint over a more condensed cream, here also more candied, with then a steely, slate minerality. More on lime leaves and delicate fruit tones of apricots and peaches.
Taste: Medium-bodied here, creamy and lush, more accessible and generous as well. Curry leaves, lime leaves, honeyed, candied apricots and a touch of lemon curd over cream. The acidity is bright and more streaky, with also a stony minerality that flexes through.
Finish: Concentrates and compacts itself, with the cream, curry leaves, wet stone and apricots more integrated, here accompanied by floral and waxy tones of agarwood and elderflowers. Seamless and more relaxed finish.
My Thoughts
A definite step up, it's more reductive here although still very much restrained, whilst also really mineral. There's lots of lush creamy tones with bouquets of leaves, florals and exotic woods that garnish the delicate stone fruits. The acidity is more flashy here, giving it more impact and presence, without going over the top.
Wine Review: Simon Colin Saint Aubin 1er Cru Le Charmois
100% Chardonnay.
A tiny parcel of just 0.15 hectares of young vines planted in Le Charmois' limestone dense soils.
This is the 2022 vintage.
Tasting Notes
Colour: Straw
Aroma: Strikingly candied and crystalline, lime leaves, agarwood, it's waxy with tones of cream, wet stone, and a softer touch of reduction of curry leaves and flint. There's also an evocative hit of rusticity in the form of hay and animal hide, with then also delicate bits of honeyed baked peaches and apricots.
Taste: Medium-bodied, it's creamy and candied, really lush and concentrated with a well toned body. Mineral spring water, with equal parts honeyed apricots and peaches over cream, animal hide, and also lime leaves and agarwood. The acidity is bright and sleek, with the body remarkably candied.
Finish: The candied baked peaches and apricots with lime leaves and agarwood carries through, creamy and waxy, with then a crystalline finish.
My Thoughts
How remarkable what a few years of age will do! This Saint Aubin Le Charmois from Simon Colin has developed beautifully, even more concentrated and much, much more candied, with the flavours more integrated, bolder and more evocative. The acidity shows just as much liveliness, bright and sleek, with the body only more toned. The fruits are carried forward, with more in the way of aromatics and waxiness, whereas the reduction has softened out. More opulent and really refined here!
Wine Review: Simon Colin Chassagne Montrachet Blanc
100% Chardonnay.
This comes from a blend of nine lieux-dits totalling 1.57 hectares, amongst which are old vines planted in 1950 near the Morgeot area, with even its younger plantings dating to 1986. The dense soils here are of clay and limestone.
This is the 2024 vintage.
Tasting Notes
Colour: Straw
Aroma: As mineral as it is reductive, with wet stone and curry leaves over cream. It's firm and concentrated with here more detail and muscularity. More on lime leaves and fresh apricot peels.
Taste: Medium-bodied, toned, lush, more creamy and concentrated with polished acidity. Lime leaves and a touch of curry leaves, alongside hay and candied apricots. It's textural, with this chiselled, crystalline yet lush frame.
Finish: Alittle more flinty, with lime leaves and hay, lots of cream and honey, concentrated and lush through the seamless finish, where it remains quite mineral driven.
My Thoughts
A well rounded expression that shows well its identity, texture, structure and acidity, it's equal parts of all, with a mineral drive that gives it a very delightful freshness and evocativeness. A really good foot in the door to a haloed cru.
Wine Review: Simon Colin Chassagne Montrachet Premier Cru Les Chaumees
100% Chardonnay.
The Les Chaumees climat is a small 0.359 hectare parcel that sits at a higher altitude (higher than the Les Vergers climat) and nearer to Saint Aubin. The vineyard here is a mix of young and old vines from Clos St Abdon, planted between 1989 and 1991. The vines here are forced to struggle in the incredibly shallow limestone soils which in turn naturally limits yields (just about 35 hectares / hectare) and raises concentration.
This is the 2024 vintage.
Tasting Notes
Colour: Straw
Aroma: More unctuous and bodied, buoyed by a mixture of curry leaves and vine peaches topped over cream, super fresh, super evocative, with a light flintiness. It even comes off alittle lactic with peach yogurt rings with a fine minerality of spring water that runs beneath. Lush and lofty, there are also wafts of lemon peel and pith that hover over.
Taste: Medium-bodied here, creamy and candied, really lush and bodied, with perfumed lime leaves and a serious mineral tone of wet stone that envelopes a more concentrated fruit core of apricots and lemon curd. The acidity is polished and well defined, with then also an almost agarwood waxiness that coats the body.
Finish: Fruit forward here, with tart, zingy lemon curd, lime leaves and then backed up by that wet stone, with also some rusticity of hay. Just a bit of cream here. Clean, seamless, really linear finish.
My Thoughts
This comes in with that much more body, richer, rounder, really lush and candied, with the acidity nicely polished and well defined. The signature minerality, stone and citrus fruits are also more amped up, melding in better with the equally teed up reduction and textural creaminess. There's also more of a drive and linearity this time, making for quite the presence!
Wine Review: Simon Colin Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers
100% Chardonnay.
Also seated close to Saint Aubin, Les Vergers is a 0.647 hectare parcel that is planted with vines 40-50 years old at a higher elevation than the appellation average. The oldest vines here were planted in 1972, with the soils of stony clay and limestone.
This is the 2023 vintage.
Tasting Notes
Colour: Straw
Aroma: Denser here, with riper, candied fruits, of baked apples, pears, quince, and peaches, with moderate reduction in the form of curry leaves. It's firm and rich, with a base of cream that's garnished with jasmine florals and cardamom. Also a little bit of toasted coconut too, and a slight greenness of bellpeppers. There's a gentle rusticity of animal hide to the perfume.
Taste: Medium-bodied, super plush and creamy yet with detail and sleek structure. Apple and pear preserves, sprinkled in with exotic cardamom spices, almost giving spiced apple pie. It's candied and firm, with a lushness. A minerality of spring water runs through, with the acidity bright and smooth. Lightly oxidative.
Finish: Candied and creamy here too, there's baked apples, peaches and a persistent cardamom spice. A seamless finish with a mineral undertone. It's really firm and spiced at the back, with a delicate savouriness of bruised apples lingering on.
My Thoughts
A standout amongst the range thus far, this cuvee demonstrated great expressiveness, painting with a wider palette, here with the likes of exotic cardamom spiced and more on toasted coconuts. It shows a good balance of reduction and oxidation, offering more complexity as a result. It's candied and lush, yet pristinely structured with great freshness makes for a most generous and evocative expression!
Wine Review: Simon Colin Chassange Montrachet Rouge
100% Pinot Noir.
And we come to Simon's Chassagne Montrachet red which was something not so usual and we were quite looking forward to! This cuvee comes from a blend of fruit from five plots that covers 18.19 acres, with vines planted between 1953 and 1993, with an impressive average age of 60 years old. The old vines are planted on clay limestone soils and show naturally slightly lowered yields.
This is the 2024 vintage.
Tasting Notes
Colour: Ruby
Aroma: Opens with complete perfume, crunchy cherries, potpourri, violets, palo santo wood spice, cardamoms, with also an air of rusticity with leather and animal hide. More on strawberries, red currants, alittle tart, with a slickness of wet clay.
Taste: Medium-bodied, creamy, with balanced and delicate extraction. The body is filled in with red currants, plums, prunes, hawthorns, strawberries and cherries, alittle stemmy too, with violet florals. It's rich and well saturated with a poppy, fresh acidity. Evocative earthy tones as well of rustic animal hide and soil, tobacco, and that exotic cardamom and palo santo wood spice. The tannins are alittle powdery. Good richness all around with solid fruit concentration.
Finish: Still persistently floral and perfumed, with violets and potpourri over plums, prunes and red currants, accompanied by an earthiness of animal hide and leather. It's clean and spiced through the stemmy finish, tannins a touch grippy and leathery.
My Thoughts
A really beautiful and evocative expression that feels pure and rustic, with spices, crunchy red fruits and earthiness that comes with a fresh and playful poppy acidity and sensual tannins that cusp readiness and ageing potential. What was particularly beguiling was the fruit concentration and saturation that gave it muscle yet refrained from heaviness or inkiness. It's fun yet serious all at the same time, making for a really approachable pour that's just as much compelling of your attention. A straight up delicious wine!
Kanpai!
@111hotpot
