Tasted in Chassagne-Montrachet with Simon Colin, 21 July 2023
Domaine Simon Colin
Le Haut des Champs
21190 Chassagne-Montrachet
Tel: +33 6 42 46 70 22
www.domainesimoncolin.com
Two years have passed so quickly since I last visited Simon – so I’ve, unfortunately, missed his 2021s – because of the frost there weren’t a lot of those but I’m still sorry about that. But this year I also got to taste reds!
Since that time, he’s move out of the small cellar that he was using in the centre of Chassagne-Montrachet and is now working from the old cuverie of his father in ‘Haut de Champs’ where you will also find Niellon, Jean-Marc Pillot and the Colin-Moreys close by.
Simon on this vintage so far and 2022:
“For this year we are lucky – for now – the hail passed close by but it was far enough away. There is some pressure from the maladies but we have enough grapes and we keep our fingers crossed. As for 2022, this was my first real vintage with some volume! I like the acidity and we had a perfect 12.5-13°.”
The wines…
High quality whites with a few that are definitely worth a special search – then – tada! – It was the same for the reds !!
DIAM-Origine seals for the Aligoté and cork is used for the other wines – sourced from Italy ‘Where the cork grows slower and has more density:’
‘I will bottle before the 23 harvest – then Ive three more tanks available – from Farges near the cuverie.’
Ooh thats lovely – a nice vibration of reduction – Energetic, juicy, absolutely delicious – bravo!
2 parcels assembled
A narrower but beautifully pure nose. Ooh, a nicely muscular – wiry, lithe, muscle – juicy, floral citrus – also great Bourgogne!
2022 Chassagne-Montrachet
From 8 parcels
Deeper, faintly reductive. Broad but with depth of flavour too – more concentration, supple wine. Nicely vibrant width. Excellent villages!
2022 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Chaumées
‘A mineral and chalky style as it’s on the St.Aubin side’
More classy, complex depth, sightly floral aromas. Mineral but faintly cushioned, silky with super finishing complexity that’s very lovely wine.
2022 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Chaumées Clos St.Abdon
Only the old vines from here the rest go in the ‘basic’ Chaumées
A more direct, faintly reductive nose. Linear, juicy, complex – here is beautiful tension. What a wonderfully mouthwatering finish I love it!
2022 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Vergers
‘Mid-slope with a bit more clay than the last so it’s more full-bodied’ – sitting below Les Chaumées
An extra vibrant width of aroma. A supple extra depth to this texture. Broad middle flavour a little more golden style to this beautiful flavour. Delicious wine.
Also vibrant and wide but with extra floral notes. Ooh – there’s tension and dynamic energy again. Juicy, intense, great wine – I feel the oak a little more so I’d wait 2-3 years – but great.
2022 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Maltroie
An extra level of florals over fine minerals – a beautiful nose. Really panoramic, yet slightly cushioned flavour – just a hint less tension but today the rest is harder to follow versus the last but this is simply excellent and it will finesse before the bottling in December.
A little red:
“I don’t like too woody or too concentrated, I also don’t like too tannic or too green! So my aim is to avoid all those things! It’s about balancing structure with infusion:”
Three parcels.
Round in the middle with a nice and appealing freshness as a frame. Sweet, juicy, faint tannin with no grain. That’s such a delicious, juicy wine – an obvious rebuy!
2022 Chassagne-Montrachet
More colour. A more linear, darker red fruit nose. Direct, more structural – tannic but without grain. Hmm, but here’s a caress of fine finishing flavour – broad, vibrant and deliciously complex – a wilder but completely rewarding ride after the Santenay.
Hmm a growing perfume – that’s very lovely. Very wide, and like the nose with beautifully perfumed fruit – crunchy and fine finishing. Great Maranges!
2022 Santenay 1er Gravières
Narrower but deeper, more cushioned red fruit. Direct, silky, larger scale – a subtle reduction in the finshing flavour. Lovely…
2022 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Morgeot Les Brusonnes
‘Vinification integral.’ Next to La Cardeuse and all whole cluster
A perfumed, vibrant width of aroma. Beautiful perfume with some frame of tannin, but never hard, just faintly smoky. Really broad and persistent finishing – wait 5 years for this but it’s clearly super…