This Chassagne-Montrachet village is a standard in Burgundy, showcasing a pronounced minerality and appealing citrus, raw almond and green apple notes. Well-balanced with a bright acidity, there is an underlying essence of butter on the fine, mineral cut finish.

Philippe Colin’s heritage runs deeply in Chassagne-Montrachet, which is situated in the Côte-d’Or and inhabits only 300 residents. His father, Michel Colin-Deléger’s lineage traces back on both sides of the family to the 1850s when their ancestors settled in the area. He inherited vineyards from both the Colins and his father-in-law, the esteemed Georges Deléger. Michel founded his winery, Domaine Michel Colin-Deléger, in 1987, garnering a reputation as one of the top estates in the region, producing renowned premier and grand cru wines. In 1988, after studying vititculture in Beaune, Philippe joined his parents in the family business working closely by their sides. Several years later his brother, Bruno, came aboard and the family prospered together for 16 years on the 44 acre estate. During this time Philippe gained a plethora of knowledge from his father, sparking his passion for winemaking.

In 2004 when Michel retired (keeping just three parcels for himself), Philippe and his brother Bruno decided to split the estate into two separate domaines in order to respect their different approaches to winemaking. Domaine Philippe Colin was founded in the same year and Philippe set out to implement all of the wisdom he’d gained from his father and grandfather. Philippe’s efforts were soon acknowledged, with the domaine gaining an abundance of international prestige and recognition. Domaine Philippe Colin’s holdings stretch approximately 30 acres with vineyards mainly in the Chassagne-Montrachet area but also in Santenay, PulignyMontrachet and Saint-Aubin. He covers 24 appellations in total through his selections, which are classified as Bourgogne, Village, Premier Cru and Grand Cru—all Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Philippe upholds the philosophy of respecting the vineyards, intervening as little as possible to allow the purest expression of terroir to shine through, as each plot is markedly different. The vineyards are farmed sustainably, following la lutte raisonnée (the practice of using less chemicals, less often, less aggressively than conventional growers), with rigorous plowing and minimal use of chemical sprays. The Chardonnay vines are trained in the Single Guyot method and the Pinot Noir in the Cordon method. Philippe strives to balance the vineyards at 35 years of age to ensure freshness and character, working to renew and replace diligently as necessary. Grapes are manually harvested and aging typically takes place in French oak barrels anywhere from 11–18 months depending upon the wine. Following in the family’s footsteps, Philippe’s son, Simon, recently joined his father at the winery, eager to continue the tradition, sharing his knowledge and passion with the next generation, just as his father and the previous Colins and Delégers did before him.