Marc Colin
| Vigneron | Damien and Caroline Colin |
| Location | Saint Aubin (Côte d'Or) |
| Size of Domaine | 12 ha |
| Terroir | Continental climate. Clay-limestone marls, alluvial sediments on mid-Jurassic (Callovian and Oxfordian) limestone bedrock. 200-300m altitude. |
| Viticulture | Soils are ploughed, no herbicide or pesticide, fungicide might be used against oidium and mildew in difficult vintages. |
| View Marc Colin wines ↓ |
Founded in 1970 by Marc Colin the domaine encompasses 26 appellations in St Aubin (producing most of the 1er Crus), Santenay, Chassagne and Puligny including some Montrachet. Many parcels were inherited from past generations of Colin and Ponavoy, some of which have been in the family for over a century.
Today Marc’s children Damien and Caroline run the show following the departures of their brothers Pierre-Yves and Joseph who established their own projects respectively in 2005 and 2017. Following a change towards a viticulture more respectful of the land, the winemaking has become more refined in a quest for more precision and terroir definition in their wines. They use less new oak and now tend to favour large barrels and foudres over the traditional 228l because it helps keep freshness and tension in the wines, while also locking in more CO2 which in turns allows them to lower their use of sulphur.
Marc Colin Wines
SAINT-AUBIN 2021
Luce
100% Chardonnay
100% Chardonnay (13% alc.)
30yo vines here facing west giving a friendly, open, mineral wine. Damien ages most of his Saint-Aubins in a good proportion of 30hl foudres (here 50%), as foudres preserve more CO2 and freshness, and consequently allow him to use lower sulphur levels. Overall there is only 5% new oak with the oldest barrels 15yo.
SAINT-AUBIN 1ER CRU 2021
La Chatenière
100% Chardonnay
100% Chardonnay (13% alc.)
Damien makes this fine 1er Cru from three parcels of 30, 40 and 50yo vines planted on a southwest-facing hillside. Here the soil is only 30cm deep and the limestone below is very hard. The wine offers a fine balance of citrus fruits, saline edge and Saint-Aubin’s characteristic tension.
SAINT-AUBIN 1ER CRU 2021
En Montceau
100% Chardonnay
100% Chardonnay (13% alc.)
According to Damien the 60yo late ripening vines planted south-west just around the corner from Chatenière, give the most mineral of all their Saint-Aubin vineyards. The soils here are white marls that produce a dense, vigourous, ripe lemon, mineral driven wine that slowly unwinds to reveal its qualities.
PULIGNY-MONTRACHET 2021
Le Trézin
100% Chardonnay
100% Chardonnay (13% alc.)
The 35yo Trézin vines are located high up on the hill above the Puligny 1er Cru La Garenne. It is cooler here and so the wine always retains a good cut of acidity that marries beautifully with its steely, composed fruit.
CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET 2021
Margot
100% Chardonnay
100% Chardonnay (13% alc.)
Margot is a wine named after Caroline and Damien’s paternal grandmother. It comes from four parcels of vines averaging 35yo, planted on the lower slopes of the appellation in limestone-clay soils. Aged in 20% new oak barrels for 12 months and then given six months in cuve, this is rich and yet firm, with good structure and fine depth to the fruit.
CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET 1ER CRU 2021
Les Caillerets
100% Chardonnay
100% Chardonnay (13% alc.)
Situated just above Champs Gains, on a moderate, due east-facing slope, with shallow and stony clay-limestone soil, Les Caillerets is regarded as one of the very best Premier Cru vineyards in Chassagne. It comes from a few parcels planted in 1950, 1976 and 1990, and is vinified in tronconic wooden vats, transferred to foudres and 350ltr oak barrels for 12 months, before spending a further six months in cuve before bottling. This has flesh with yellow flowers, white fruits, and an oyster shell mineral lick on the finish.
SANTENAY 2021
Champs Claude
100% Pinot Noir
100% Pinot Noir (13% alc.)
This is an excellent red from 110yo 'vieilles vignes' in the lieu-dit of Champs Claude which lies below the Chassagne 1er cru of Morgeot. The soil here is quite rich, gravelly clay with a little sand that is well suited to pinot noir. The oak is very sensitively handled (10% new up to 6yo barrels). The cool raspberry fruit has been delicately extracted, and there is an old viney framework and structure.