Marc Colin, Joseph Colin, Philippe Colin, Moreau, Morey, Niellon
In the villages of St-Aubin and Chassagne-Montrachet, it's easy to get confused in the profusion of winemaking Colins. Domaine Marc Colin was built up from the 1970s by Marc and his wife Michele, from vineyards that had been in their families for generations. These days, winemaking is handled by Marc's son Damien; critical applause is soaring for the scintillating, high-energy wines he is making. Damien's brother Joseph also learned his craft at the family domaine, before breaking away with his share of the family vineyards in 2016 to do his own thing. It was a thrill to taste Joseph's 2019s. The energy and electricity on display is beautiful; the tense, linear style beautifully counterpoints the natural ripeness of the vintage.
Round the bend of the hill in Chassagne-Montrachet, and from a slightly different branch of the Colin family, Philippe Colin has made a deftly poised set of 2019s that balance depth and lift, vivacity and richness. Philippe's wines always emphasize elegance and subtlety over sheer power. Chassagne-Montrachet was hit badly by frost in April 2019, and at Bernard Moreau brothers Alex and Benoit suffered especially badly, losing a lot of fruit; but what wine they were able to make is lovely. They make stunning wines in a very contemporary white Burgundian idiom, bright, tense, and mineral - the coiled-up richness comes later, on the aftertaste, or with a bit of age. Benoit focuses more on the vineyards, Alex more on the cellar, and together they make a formidable team.
The wines of Thomas Morey are taut, lean and high-energy - just like the man himself. Thomas learned his craft at the side of his father Bernard, and over time developed a very clear winemaking signature all his own. He employs minimal new wood and batonnage; the style is all about high-tension, purity and precision. At Michel Niellon, they work in a slightly richer style, making ripe and concentrated wines that still retain precision and elegance. The domaine has a massive following in the USA but we have managed to claw some back for the UK! These days, Niellon is managed by Michel Niellon's son-in-law Michel Coutoux and his grandson Matthieu Bresson. As Michel Coutoux puts it: 'The quality is very good, but the quantities are disappointing - down between 25-30% on a normal vintage.' It is the story, of course, of 2019 at many addresses. /NT
