Presentation of the Simon Colin estate

DISCOVER THE WINES OF DOMAINE SIMON COLIN

• Domaine Simon Colin : The essentials

- The origins of the family estate date back to the 1850s

- Simon is the 5th generation of winegrower in the family

- Domaine Simon Colin was founded in 2017 as a micro-negociant before taking over its own vineyards in 2021.

- The estate is located in the village of Chassagne-Montrachet

- 9.3 hectares of vines spread over 15 appellations in the terroirs of Saint-Aubin, Chassagne-Montrachet, Santenay and Maranges 

• 2 white regional appellations
• 2 white village appellations
• 6 white 1er cru appellations
• 2 red village appellations
• 3 red 1er cru appellations

- Controlled yields to bring out the best in the terroir. Between 35 and 45 hectolitres per hectare for red wines and between 45 and 55 hectolitres per hectare for white wines.

- Currently undergoing organic certification, first certification in 2024. Also inspired by certain biodynamic practices

- Whole harvest for the whites, partially destemmed for the reds

- Aged in oak barrels for around 12 months, then in vats for 3 to 4 months.  20 to 25% new oak for the whites, 25 to 33% new oak for the reds.

• History of the Simon Colin estate

Simon Colin is descended from a long line of winegrowers, more precisely the 5th generation of the family. The first Colins made their first wines back in the 1850s, so it's fair to say that Simon has wine in his blood!

More recently, the estate was known as Colin-Deleger until 2015. Part of the family estate had already been sold to the sons, Bruno and Phillipe (Simon's father) in 2004, before the entire Colin-Deleger estate was split between the two sons in 2015 when Michel Colin and Bernadette Deleger decided to retire.

After completing his studies, Simon decided to follow in his father's footsteps and, in 2017, launched his own business in 'Laboratory' mode, producing confidential cuvées alongside his work at Domaine Sauzet. The aim was to use all the knowledge he had acquired in France and abroad (in Oregon and South Africa) to find his own brand and style. Simon wanted to be totally independent so that he could express his own vision of wine without being influenced.

After 4 years of hard work in his micro-negociant, in 2021 he will be lucky enough to be able to take over 2/3 of the vines of his father's Phillipe Colin estate. 2021 will therefore be the first vintage in which Simon will be able to manage the estate 100%, both in the winery and in the vines.

• The estate's philosophy

Simon has his own unique vision of viticulture and oenology, which he wishes to modernise while respecting family know-how. He does not hesitate to question working methods and automatisms in both the vineyards and the cellar. "Trying to work intelligently and efficiently" and "Respecting employees and living things" are his watchwords.

For example, when it comes to treatments, just because it's recommended to use a particular product every X weeks doesn't mean that Simon is going to do it in an unconsidered way - quite the opposite. Simon places a great deal of importance on living things, and inspects his vines every day to ensure that he intervenes only when strictly necessary.

  "I try to apply a considered and efficient approach inspired by organic and biodynamic farming.

This effective methodology demands extreme vigilance on his part, as the use of organic treatments does not forgive the slightest error or delay in treatment.

• Vineyard management at the Simon Colin estate

Soil management

Simon's aim is to minimise the amount of work he does on the soil of his vineyards, without being overrun by weeds that compete with the vines for nitrogen. He is looking for the right balance.

He doesn't work on the soil from the beginning of July until the harvest. For the rest of the year, he uses a small mechanical inter-row cultivator to eliminate the strong competition from natural grass. To be more precise, it's exactly one micro mounding, 2 turns of the claw and 2 turns of the inter-bed cultivator per year.

However, he is always thinking ahead and open to trying new things. At the moment, given the young age of the estate, he feels he still lacks experience and is groping to find the right balance, where the benefits of grass cover take precedence over the vigour of the vines. 

Pruning the vines

Simon prunes the vines twice a year. The first, called dismantling or pre-pruning, is carried out from December to February. For ecological reasons, the pruning waste and vine shoots are not burnt on site, but crushed directly in the vines.

A second pruning, known as "plucking", is carried out in March/April. This consists of carrying out the final pruning of the vine, removing all the small, useless, troublesome branches and setting the hooks and rods to the right length.

As far as trimming is concerned, the first one of the year is always done by hand, unlike the next one. Simon tries to prune fairly high, at around 130cm to 135cm, except on one small plot where he is experimenting with pruning at 160cm. His aim is to see what higher, denser foliage can do for the vines and grapes by increasing photosynthesis, but also by protecting the bunches from the harsh summer sun and the increasing risk of hail in recent years.

Treatment

In keeping with his approach of respecting living things as much as possible, Simon tries to reduce treatments as much as possible. He uses only organic contact products, essential oils and bicarbonate of potash.

As he wants to reduce the quantities of products used as much as possible, he relies on the weather station installed in his vineyards to be as rigorous and precise as possible. Simon prefers to treat his vines more often, but with smaller doses, and it works. In general, the estate uses half as many treatment products as the organic certification allows.

• Method of vinification

The grapes are harvested by hand using buckets and hosts for both the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines. The grapes are drastically sorted to select only the finest bunches.

As for the vinification of the whites, the whole bunches are lightly crushed before undergoing settling (only if necessary). The alcoholic and malolactic fermentations are carried out directly in oak barrels using indigenous yeasts. The wines are then matured in barrel for around twelve months, with 20-25% new barrels, before being transferred to vats for 3-4 months.

Simon uses a little SO2 consistently to stabilise the wines and avoid any ageing problems, and sometimes uses a little tartaric acid when the need arises.

When it comes to vinifying the estate's red wines, Simon keeps between 30 and 50% whole bunches, depending on the appellation and the vintage, except for a few full-bodied cuvées. As he wants to preserve a 'fruit infusion' style of red wine, he doesn't want to extract too much from the bunches. There is little punching down and pumping over, the aim being to work on the fruit and not extract too much tannin. The maturing process is similar to that for the white wines, but with slightly more new barrels, between 25% and 33%.

DISCOVER THE WINES OF DOMAINE SIMON COLIN

• The vines of the Simon Colin estate

White wines

Bourgogne Aligoté

This small parcel of Aligoté (22.17 ares) is located in the commune of Chassagne-Montrachet. The vines were planted in 1988 in clay-limestone soil.  Being fairly young, yields are reasonable, averaging 60 hl/hectare.  Simon makes his Aligotés in the same way as his Chardonnays.

Bourgogne Chardonnay

Simon's Bourgogne Chardonnay is grown on a beautiful 1.19 hectare plot in the lower part of the village of Chassagne-Montrachet. The first vines were planted here in 1996 on a soil composed equally of clay and limestone. As the vines are fairly young, yields are reasonable, averaging 50/60 hl per hectare. This is the earliest vine on the estate, and the first to be harvested each year.

On tasting, the wine has good acidity and is lively and fresh on the palate, but with good ripeness. This bottle of Burgundy Chardonnay can easily be drunk young, but Simon recommends waiting 2 years for the wine to reach its full potential. 

Maranges

This parcel of Chardonnay covers 18.26 ares and was planted in 1996 in clay-limestone soil. As with the previous appellations, yields are good, averaging between 50 and 60 hectolitres per hectare.

Its terroir is similar to that of the Hautes-Cotes de Beaune, and when you taste it, you'll notice lovely aromas of tart green apples, citrus fruit and lemons. The wine is lively and fresh.

This wine can be enjoyed in its early years, but it is advisable to wait at least 5 years for it to fully express itself.

Chassagne-Montrachet

Domaine Simon Colin's Chassagne-Montrachet comes from a blend of 9 parcels of vines spread over 1.57 ha located between Puligny-Montrachet and the Morgeot climat.  It includes both old vines planted in the 1950s and younger vines.

The wine is very well balanced, with the density and structure typical of the Chassagne appellation. It can be drunk young, but we advise you to keep this bottle in your cellar for around 5 years so that it can express its full potential.

 Chassagne-Montrachet La Maltroie 1er cru

Simon owns a total of 23.39 ares of the 'Maltroie' climat, which lies just below the 'Clos Saint Jean'. The vines are on average around forty years old and yields are lower than those of the estate's younger vines, at between 45 and 55 hectolitres per hectare.

This makes for a more timid, closed wine in its first years after bottling. The wine is much more structured and square than the village, so you will need more patience to appreciate its typical character. It is advisable to keep this bottle in your cellar for 7 years before tasting it.

Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chenevottes 1er cru

This magnificent climat "Les Chenevottes" is situated at the bottom of the Chassagne-Montrachet hillside on the Saint-Aubin side. It is sandwiched between the "Les Vergers" and "Les Bondues" climats. It is also very close to the emblematic Grand Cru "Le Montrachet", just across the road. As you can see, this appellation is extremely well situated.

Simon owns a total of 31.87 ares, with vines averaging 35 years of age planted in very dense ferrous clay soil. This very specific terroir results in a wine that stands out from the rest of the estate's wines. On the palate, the wine is dense and concentrated, with lovely spicy notes. We advise you to wait around 7 years before tasting this nugget.

Chassagne-Montrachet Les Vergers 1er cru

The "Les Vergers" climat is also close to the Village of Saint-Aubin, but is higher up the slopes than "Les Chenevottes". The 64.73 ares parcel is planted with vines that are on average 40 to 50 years old and are planted in very deep, stony soil.

This typical terroir is reflected in the wine's yellow fruit and mirabelle plum aromas. The wine also has good density and concentration. For this reason, we recommend keeping this bottle for around 7 years.

Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chaumées 1er cru

The "Les Chaumées" climat is even higher up the hillside than "Les Vergers", as this 35.9-are parcel lies just above it. This parcel also borders the Saint-Aubin appellation, but surprisingly the soil is very different. This time, the 30-year-old vines grow in very shallow, chalky soil. This difference in terroir is directly apparent on tasting.  The wine has aromas of citrus and fresh fruit. It is chiselled and dense, but less so than Le Vergers, which gives it a fine finish.

This appellation will be more accessible if you decide to drink it young than the estate's other 1er crus, although we recommend waiting 7 years for this wine to reach its peak.

Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chaumées - Clos St Adbon 1er cru

This "Les Chaumées - Clos St Adbon" appellation is very similar to the previous one in that it uses the same terroir, the only difference being that it is made exclusively from selected old vines, at least 50 years old.

The wine has aromas of ripe fruit, and is much denser and less acidic on the palate, making it less airy than the classic 'Les Chaumes'. It will also be much harder to drink when young. We recommend waiting at least 7 years. 

Saint-Aubin Les Charmois 1er cru

"Les Charmois is directly adjacent to the Les Chaumées climat and is situated at the same height, except that this time we are in the Saint-Aubin area. Its terroir is much more chalky, but also colder due to its easterly exposure. Simon owns 37.11 ares of vines planted in 1999.

On tasting, this Chardonnay has magnificent notes of citrus fruit and green apple. The wine is more chiselled and lively than "Les Chaumées", with good acidity and length on the palate.

This wine can be drunk young, but we recommend that you leave it to age for 5 years.

Red wines

Chassagne-Montrachet

Domaine Simon Colin's red Chassagne-Montrachet comes from a blend of 5 parcels of 18.19 ares of cordon-pruned vines. These are old vines, on average over 60 years old, with a yield of 40 to 45 hectolitres per hectare.

The wine exudes aromas of red and black fruits, with character and structure on the palate.  Simon recommends cellaring this wine for 5 years to allow it to express its full potential.

Santenay

The estate's Santenay red comes from a 67.81 hectare plot, also cordon-pruned. The vines are around fifty years old and produce a yield of around forty hectolitres per hectare.

On tasting, the wine has aromas of tangy red fruit and is finer and more airy than its Chassagne-Montrachet neighbour. On the palate, the tannins are also silkier and the range of aromas more refined.

We also recommend ageing this bottle for 5 years.

Maranges Les Fussière 1er cru

This appellation comes from a small vineyard parcel of 45.92 ares containing vines that are on average fifty years old. Yields are low, averaging between 35 and 40 hectolitres per hectare.

The plant material present is highly colourful, with very pronounced natural colours. The wine gives off aromas of red and black fruits such as blackberries. On the palate, the wine has good body and a dense structure.

This fine wine should be enjoyed after 7 years' cellaring.

Santenay Les Gravières 1er cru

The vines for this Santenay 1er cru "Les Gravières" were planted in 2005 on 50.67 ares of very chalky soil. Yields are fairly low, around 40 hectolitres per hectare.

The youth of the vines and the terroir are reflected in the glass by an airy, light wine. Its aromatic palette is similar to that of Santenay village, but with more complexity and, above all, greater depth and length.

Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Les Brussonnes 1er cru

This parcel of Pinot Noir planted on 23.7 ares in 1971 is very interesting. It is located on the lower part of the Santenay side. Because of its geographical location, we find in the glass the character and structure of the Chassagne reds, but also the finesse and silky tannins of Santenay.

But you'll need to be patient if you want to make the most of this bottle, with Simon recommending 7 years' cellaring before tasting.

• A word about ageing wines

As the estate is very young, it is very difficult to make predictions due to a lack of hindsight. But what is certain is that, given the appellations, the terroir and the quality of the work carried out by Simon both in the vines and in the winery, you won't have any trouble keeping your bottles, as the wine can be kept for several decades without any problem, especially the 1st growths. Of course, this is subject to good storage conditions.

DISCOVER THE WINES OF DOMAINE SIMON COLIN

The Wvine team would like to thank Simon and his Domain Simon Colin for their trust.