Joseph Colin’s Saint-Aubin 1er Cru La Chatenière Blanc is a terrific example of why Saint-Aubin has become one of the smartest areas to buy white Burgundy right now, and 2023 is an especially great example here. Joseph Colin, son of Marc Colin and brother of Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, has quickly built a reputation for precise, mineral-driven Chardonnay, and La Chatenière is one of the key premier cru sites of Saint-Aubin, set on a very steep slope with thin reddish clay and limestone soils. This cuvée is 100% Chardonnay from 45+ year-old vines, fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged in 500-liter barrels with only about 10% new oak, then bottled unfined and unfiltered. The 2023 vintage was generous and ripe, but the best whites have enough acidity and site definition to balance the extra fruit, and this bottling shows that combination well. In the glass, it is refined and energetic, with lemon zest, pear, white peach, fennel, almond, chalk, and a long mineral finish. It's a classic example of Joseph Colin: concentrated but not heavy, subtly reductive, and built around limestone tension, making it a compelling premier cru white Burgundy without the pricing of neighboring Puligny or Chassagne. 

 

Jasper Morris MW (Inside Burgundy) 91-93 points! "Attractive lemon yellow tints to the colour. The bouquet is refined, yet discreet, perhaps a fennel note with the fresh fruit. This is very satisfying in the mouth, the perfect balance of ripe grapes with lively acidity, a very pleasing flesh and excellent aftertaste. Picked a week after Sous Roche Dumay."

 

Burghound 90-93 points! "Pretty and airy aromas include those of petrol, lemon rind, apple and pear. There is markedly better concentration to the vibrant and solidly powerful flavors that exude an evident bead of minerality on the chiseled and youthfully austere finale. This is an exercise in contrast as the mid-palate is fleshy and generously proportioned yet the finish is compact and linear. Excellent quality and this should amply repay mid-term keeping."