From the tiny vineyard adjacent to Chevalier-Montrachet and Puligny Caillerets that his family shares with Amiot, Philippe Colin's 2007 Puligny-Montrachet Les Demoiselles (of which there are two barrels) smells of ripe apricot and yellow plum mingled with marzipan and candied lemon rind. It comes onto the palate rather firm, impressively substantial, and surprisingly – almost austerely – mineral, especially given its aromatics, with chalk and salt carrying on a penetrating, bright, zest finish. While I expected more elegance here than with the other wines in this collection, the notably impressive virtue here is sheer energy, among other things serving to set up a vibratory interchange of citrus, pit fruit, and myriad mineral filaments. The overall effect is energizing and lip-smacking. This should be fascinating to follow for a half dozen or more years.
Since splitting the family inheritance with his brother Bruno in 2004, Philippe Colin has taken on supplemental grape contracts, but only where he is able to personally work the vines and call the shots at harvest. In 2007, he picked his entire acreage in one week, beginning September 4, and lightly chaptalized his wines to levels generally just on either side of 13%.
Imported by Robert Chadderdon Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 757-8185; Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel. (212) 419-1400; Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524