One of Burgundy’s best values for elegant, pure, and precise whites is Chardonnay from the village of St. Aubin. I often think of these wines as the little brother to a Puligny or Chassagne A.C. (village wine), as they are a bit lighter and more graceful, but still have a pronounced
goût de terroir (translates as “taste of the earth” specifically referring to the
terroir).
About St. AubinA ten minute drive from southwest Meursault lies the village of St. Aubin. Literally rubbing the shoulders of Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet to the east, the best white wines come from the vineyards located on the steep slopes in the stretch between St. Aubin and the neighboring village of Gamay. Here the soil is nearly pure limestone and the white wines have a pronounced almond character. Farther down the slope, below the village of Gamay, the soil is richer, with more marl, creating fruitier white wines with a scent of hazelnut especially from vineyards such as En Remilly (borders the
grand cru Le Montrachet) and Murgers des Dents de Chien (roughly, the big dog-toothed rocks) that abut Puligny-Montrachet.
About Domaine Marc ColinMarc is a fourth generation winemaker who is best known for his Montrachet and Batard-Montrachet. He is now working closely with talented sons Pierre-Yves, Damian, and Joseph. Damian and Joseph Colin are in charge of the winemaking where Damian oversees the vinification and Joseph the viticulture. They've ended the use of all weed killers and now plow exclusively. Similarly, they told Allen Meadows that they're also looking for more freshness and vivacity, and to the extent possible, to emphasize minerality in the wines. To accomplish this they now use no enzymes or commercialized yeasts and have stopped all but a small amount of lees stirring. Moreover, they absolutely wanted to avoid any sense of heaviness. They're also dropping the toast levels of the barrels.
I tasted these wines semi-blind (I knew they were both Marc Colin St. Aubins but I didn’t know which vineyard I was tasting).
2005 Marc Colin St. Aubin En Remilly 1er Cru $33 Nice breed on first impression, like a junior Puligny. Excellent purity and very precise. Lovely white Burgundy character with hazelnut, lemon verbena, quince, and white floral top notes. Finish shows great tension, minerality, and length. You can easily see why this wine made Allen Meadow’s best buy list and was rated “Outstanding! Top value.”
2005 Marc Colin St. Aubin Les Murgers des Dents de Chien 1er Cru $33 Less definition but more exotic. This is a riper wine with more stone fruits and melon while showing excellent minerality. The finish is richer and more blowsy. For me, I prefer the definition in the En Remilly but I really like the nose on this wine too, especially as it opened up.