Philippe Colin, Bernard Moreau, Paul Pillot

There's a widely believed myth - a sort of received wisdom - that somehow Puligny is classier and more elegant than Chassagne. Though round these parts most just refer to them as Montrachet: not a bad generic term. In fact it is Chassagne that captures our hearts and our wallets most years. And why not? After all, Puligny Villages has a higher water table than Chassagne, so many houses can't have cellars. Then there is the quality of Chassagne's growers.

Our first visit of the week was to Paul Pillot, where son Thierry is one of the reasons for Chassagne's ascendency. The 2013 harvest was so late we couldn't taste in the cellar as the juice was still fermenting. Massive amounts of CO2 and being underground with minimal ventilation don't mix well with the longevity of your correspondent. Thierry lost 50% of the village wine to a late frost on 17th of May. And there was hail of course. Grapes contained little juice and had thick skins: both good for intensity.

So next to see Benoit at Bernard Moreau. They picked early and quick when a 5am thunderstorm on the 28th woke them up with a bang. Literally. Benoit said that it was the frost and hail that stressed the vines into giving the grapes thicker skins than normal. A hiatus between pressing and the start of fermentation has given the wines depth and intensity. The small quantities were one thing that has reduced further the proportion of new oak here. Wines were vivid, full of energy and had already largely eaten their oak.

Philippe Colin moved his cellar out of the village sometime ago. So visiting here is refreshingly free of cobwebs in the hair and in fact the winery is spotless, tiled and shiny and modern. An ancient St Vincent lives in a niche in the wall as a reminder of the winegrower's need for protection. We've been enjoying the wines hugely over the last few years and are proud to have them in the portfolio. His thoughtful use of larger, 500 litre, barrels is leading to more integrated wines. He is also another to seal most of his bottles with wax - all part of a plan to increase ageability. As ever his wines are rich but nervy; ripe but with more than a glimpse of terroir beneath the hem. /CW