Tasted in Chassagne-Montrachet, 18 July 2023 with Bruno Colin.
Domaine Bruno Colin
3 Impasse des Crêts
21190 Chassagne-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 24 75 61
www.domaine-bruno-colin.com
More reports with Domaine Bruno Colin
On 2021:
“There’s still some 2021 left but not a lot. Fortunately, 2022 brought a good volume and I’m hoping for something similar this year in 2023 too. I had an average of 70% losses in 2021 but some parts, like our Puligny Demoiselles, weren’t harvested at all. The village appellations were closer to 50% losses. Given the smaller volume, all the 2021s were bottled at the same time – in February – the reds and whites too. I love them – they are great expressions of terroir, fresh but still tasty – not the same ripeness as many others but it’s just a shame that we have so little…”
The wines…
A super visit. Fewer great reds than when I last visited but simply excellent reds all the same. But on this day the whites were signing and the oak accompaniment was very discreet – a great cellar in 2021 – many of these wines are worth a special search!!
The wines are mainly cork sealed: DIAMs for the Bourgognes and the rest are sealed by Trescases – 25mm ‘to make them fit tighter’ and waxed since 2013…
2021 Bourgogne Aligoté
Vines in the commune of Chassagne – Les Farges
A compact but clean nose. Wide, then mouth-filling – fine citrus complexity – ooh – that’s delicious! I love that wine – far too easy to drink, finishing faintly chalky at the end.
2021 Bourgogne Chardonnay
Also vines in the commune of Chassagne, but a single parcel near the Santenay border – just 0.23 ha but another parcel is on its way…
Also a modest volume of aroma but a little more depth and clean weight. An extra stony depth to flavour then broadening with more stony intent – a fine finish – really an excellent wine.
2021 Chassagne-Montrachet
9 different parcels from around the appellation – nearly 2 ha worth including a small part that touches Criots
More open and airy notes – that’s got a fine invitation. Larger scale, more mineral – and growing in intensity. Another simply excellent wine – completely delicious and quite juicy finishing!
A hint of oak and a riper yellow citrus nose. Extra direct and fresh – an airy, juicy wine – sizzling with finishing energy – that’s a great SA!
2021 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Chaumées
Completely different – more depth to this aroma. Ooh – that’s just so mineral and complex, melting with citrus – shaded to green – that’s a delicious and complex wine speaking to you long after you have swallowed…
2021 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Vergers
In Pacquells in Vergers.
More open top notes, showing more floral notes. A very different shape and showing much more depth to both the texture and flavour. I slightly prefer the chiselled tension of the last this is the more comfortable and it’s certainly completely delicious…
A much more vertical nose – depth and high tones with a little less breadth – widening with some extra floral notes. Hmm, melting, mineral, citrus infused flavours – more in the direction of the 21 Chaumées – a super finishing intensity then holding… Love!!
Have red and white in this vineyard. Three different ages of plantation – about half a hectare below their cuverie.
Another quite vertical nose – wider in the high tones and finely mineral at the base. Fluid – melting – simply gorgeous, harmonious wine – a great wine – with such finesse – bravo!
2021 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Morgeot
Vines in Francemont between Clos Pitois and Tête du Clos – 0.41 ha
Airy and attractive aromas. A steely, mineral, character to this wine – well-concentrated but always fresh. A wave of broad finishing flavour – more powerful wine but not better wine – delicious and persistent again!
2021 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er La Boudriotte
Hmm, a different character again – there’s depth here and despite the freshness a little more ripe aspect to this fruit. Mouth-filling – a larger scale to this wine – a faint extra smokiness of barrel visible but not too much. The finishing flavour vibrates with energy – wait 3-4 years for the oak to fade.
2021 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er En Remilly
More stone fruit in these aromas – a subtle but undeniable complexity of aroma. Faintly tannic, concentrated but full of energy. That’s a simply excellent, sinuous wine – almost a sexy wine – waves of wide finishing flavour – and the most persistent of all. Simply excellent
A more floral accented fruit. Hmm – ample but vibrantly mineral and wide – ooh – now that’s another great wine – complex with florals and minerals – faintly chalky texture in the finish – a great one!
2021 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Truffière
A parcel that just touches on the northern end of Folatières.
A heavier, almost spiced ripeness of lemon citrus – held in balance with some pretty floral high tones. Hmm – tension – that blend of mineral energy and almost fluidity of flavour. A slightly creamy aspect to these flavours but not obviously from the barrel. Simply a gorgeous wine!
2021 Chevalier-Montrachet
Domaine vines – two small parcels – but, only magnums for the half barrel of Chevalier produced in 2021 so not tasted…
Les Reds:
The reds were all destemmed in 2021 – normally they keep up to 30% of the stems – in 2022 they sometimes kept up to 50%…
2021 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Vines in Chassagne in Grand Pre – the last vintage of this wine as replanted now.
Modest colour. Slightly savoury but also slightly floral – it’s a good invitation. More impact and width than the nose suggests, very faintly smoky. Finishing clean and tasty – a lovely wine.
2021 Santenay Vieilles-Vignes
Vines near the border with Chassagne planted in ’59.
Hmm – more intensity of fruit and energy – again slightly smoky but this is a much more overt invitation to drink. Extra density and depth of flavour – always with freshness. That’s a fine, delicious wine.
2021 Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles-Vignes
4 different parcels – north and south of the village.
More aromatic weight – that’s a fine invitation. Nicely structured – nothing hard – a complex and creamy wine with lots of flavour – that’s absolutely delicious – it’s a simply excellent villages – I love this finish too!
2021 Maranges 1er Les Fussière
All is manual in the vines, but someone locally does most of the work – ‘because it’s an hour each way on the tractor!’
A redder berry fruit with fine freshness too. A little more density of flavour but also energy to the red fruit – this is showing very well – I love the finishing intensity of thius red fruit – a certain tannic frame but never hard or grainy – that’s a beauty.
2021 Santenay 1er Les Gravières
A complexity of red fruits and cooking herbs. More dimensions of flavour here – a good, not hard, structure. Broad in the middle flavours with a texture of velour. A small burst of finishing flavour then a chalky finishing texture – simply excellent!
The last vintage for this as it’s now replanted with white.
Good aromatic depth and quite floral top notes – this is a super invitation – yes the plantation in the 60s was with vines that originated with d’Angerville in Volnay – smaller grapes and more floral aromas. Slightly smoky from the barrel but this has a fine and fluid shape and energy. The mouth-watering finish is lovely – a rare – and final – beauty. Top! Bravo!