Bernard Colin Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly 1997
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The Land
En Remilly is the strongest argument Saint-Aubin has. The climat sits directly over the hill from Le Montrachet, on the boundary where Saint-Aubin meets Puligny-Montrachet, with its upper edge running just above Chevalier-Montrachet. Same slope, same exposure, same thin limestone. The vineyard climbs a steep south-facing incline between roughly 280 and 310 meters, with shallow topsoil of limestone and a little marl sitting directly on rock. It is the largest premier cru in the village and generally rated its best alongside Murgers des Dents de Chien. This geography is the entire reason Saint-Aubin has been the value play of the Cote de Beaune for forty years: the same hillside as the most expensive white wine on earth, with a less famous name on the label.
The Wine
Chardonnay, and at 29 years old it is not the wine it was released as. Expect deep gold moving toward amber, and aromatics that have left citrus behind for honey, hazelnut, dried lemon peel, beeswax, toasted grain, and quince. The 1997 vintage ran warm, with a hot September delivering ripe fruit and low acidity. The whites were praised for richness and built for the short to medium term rather than the long haul.
Buy this one with clear eyes. White Burgundy from the mid and late 1990s carries real premature oxidation risk. 1997 was less affected than 1995, 1996, and 1998, but at nearly three decades ordinary oxidative development has done its work, and bottle-to-bottle variation should be expected. Stand the bottle upright two days ahead, pull the cork slowly because old corks on white Burgundy tear, serve at cellar temperature rather than refrigerator cold, and pour gently off the last half inch. Drink it within the hour. The window can close fast.
The People
Bernard Colin et Fils is a Chassagne-Montrachet family estate carrying the most tangled surname in the Cote de Beaune. Marc Colin, who founded his own Saint-Aubin domaine in 1970, is a cousin of Bernard and of Michel Colin-Deleger, whose sons Bruno and Philippe each run separate estates today. The Colin branches farmed these slopes for generations, and collectively they are a large part of why Saint-Aubin white Burgundy earned any reputation at all.
Past the family tree, honesty beats filler. Bernard Colin et Fils is thinly documented, and the farming and cellar work behind a 1997 bottling were never published anywhere we can verify.
Food Pairing
Mature white Burgundy wants quiet cooking. Roast chicken with lemon and thyme, served in its own pan juices rather than a sauce, meets the honeyed weight without burying it. Sauteed mushrooms on buttered toast with parsley go straight at the nutty, autumnal side. A wedge of Comte aged 24 months or a mature Beaufort matches the hazelnut and dried fruit, and the salt lifts what acidity remains. Turbot poached in butter works if the plate stays simple. This is a bottle for a Sunday with nowhere to be and one other person who will actually pay attention to the glass.
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Burgundy, in eastern France, encompasses several subregions, but it is the Côte d'Or that is home to many of the world's most expensive and revered wines. The region, primarily a single east-facing slope, has mixed limestone soils that vary dramatically from village to village and even vineyard to vineyard. White wines, crafted from Chardonnay, range from rich and opulent to lean and intensely mineral, while Pinot Noir produces silky, perfumed red wines of exceptional finesse and complexity. Centuries of winemaking tradition have resulted in every plot being meticulously recognized and scrutinized, making the Côte d'Or a true capital of terroir.
Burgundy - Cote d'Or
Chardonnay, one of the world's most versatile and beloved white grape varieties, showcases a remarkable spectrum of styles, from the lean, mineral-driven expressions of Chablis in France to the rich, buttery, and oak-aged versions from California's Napa Valley. Its adaptability extends to cooler climates such as Burgundy, where it achieves elegance and complexity, and to regions like Australia's Yarra Valley, known for producing vibrant and fruit-forward renditions. This grape's ability to reflect its terroir, coupled with winemaking techniques, results in a wide array of profiles, including unoaked, crisp varieties with apple and citrus notes, to full-bodied wines with tropical fruit flavors and creamy textures.
