Simon Colin Aligoté and Santenay Rouge

I was lucky enough get to revisit some incredible 2022s from Simon Colin last week and I immediately asked if there was enough available that I could write about them! The two wines are his Aligoté and Santenay Rouge.

The Aligoté comes from vines planted in 1988 with Southeast exposure on clay-limestone soils. The first note I wrote after tasting is "overdelivers" as it just tastes so much more expensive than its price. It has a tiny hint of reduction alongside beautiful ripe apple and a floral bouquet. This is mineral and bright with a waxy finish. An amazing representation of the grape and the region as a whole! At sub $40 this is one of the best deals in white Burgundy.

The Santenay Rouge comes from vineyards planted in 1959 and 1973 with East/Southeast exposure on clay-limestone soils. The wine is made with 17% whole cluster fermentation, and aging takes place in used barrels. This wine is full of finesse, it has beautiful notes of spiced red berries. Excellent freshness showcases the elegance and purity of fruit.

If you are not yet familiar with Simon Colin, now is the perfect time to start! With the 2021 vintage, Simon inherited 2/3 of his father Phillippe Colin’s holdings. However, back in 2017 he started sourcing fruit in Chassagne, Puligny, and Rully. Prior to making his own wines, Simon trained under his uncle Bruno (Colin), and was the assistant winemaker at Domaine Etienne Sauzet, and assisted his father in making the 2015 vintage at Domaine Phillipe Colin. Now making his own wines with ownership of his own vines, Simon farms organically with some biodynamic practices implemented along the way. Organic certification is coming next year with Simon describing his style as “modern” as he works to make wines with great acidity and less wood influence. Although he is young, Simon has already proved what an incredible winemaker he is, with nowhere to go but up! My experience so far with these wines has been nothing short of incredible.

These are the last few wines remaining from the 2022 vintage. I would snag these while you can as there is not a huge amount to go around and they show off some of the best values around.

-Hanna Krilov Cohen

Please allow until Thursday, 1/29 for pick-up and delivery.