2005 Saint-Aubin Les Combes

Philippe Colin was far from the only winemaker in Chassagne-Montrachet to tell me that the ripeness in his village in 2006 was less exaggerated than in Meursault. (Colin vinifies part of the family holdings and also buys some negociant fruit, mostly from members of his extended family.) A couple of his cuvees reached 13.7% alcohol, but the rest were in the 13% to 13.5% range, he told me, and no wines were acidified. "I don't look for surmaturite," he told me, adding that he prefers to keep his wines below 13.5% to avoid getting exotic flavors. Colin, who does systematic leaf-pulling, said that there were no rot problems in '06. He stirs the lees only until the end of the malolactic fermentations, which finished this year in January. On June 1, these wines were clear and easy to view. Incidentally, Colin told me that the U.S. was the #1 market for his wines, taking 30% of his production. (Kermit Lynch, Berkeley, CA; Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, New York, NY; Robert Chadderdon Selections, New York, NY)

Philippe Colin, Bruno's older brother, carried out a green harvest during the summer of 2005, and said he literally finished the day before the hailstorm, which reduced the size of the crop even more.Still, he told me, he was lucky that hail barely affected his largest parcels (Chaumees, Vergers, Chenevottes), which are situated a bit north of the epicenter of the storm.Compared to the wines of Bruno, Philippe's are typically less lush but more precise, as he practices less batonnage.In fact, he told me that he stopped stirring the lees of his 2005s in December, as he felt the vintage was already very rich but did not possess the vivacity of 2004.(Kermit Lynch, Berkeley, CA; Chateau & Estate Wines, New York, NY; Robert Chadderdon Selections, New York, NY)