Aromas of green apples and white flowers introduce the 2017 Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Le Charmois, a medium-bodied, bright wine with an elegantly textural attack and a chalky, succulent mid-palate and finish.

The 2015 Saint Aubin 1er Cru Charmois certainly has a more nuanced bouquet compared to the Saint Aubin Les Combes this year. This makes you work a little bit, eking out those scents of granite and apple blossom. For sure it is unashamedly more austere than the Les Combes but very nicely focused. The palate is rounded on the entry with a brush of honey. There is a pleasant sense of energy here just on the back palate, almost like the aftertaste from Shezchuan pepper, the mouth tingling with spiciness. It completes what I find to be an intriguing Saint-Aubin, but I would afford it a couple of years in bottle.

The 2014 Saint Aubin 1er Cru le Charmois, which sees a modest 5% new wood, has a crisp and slightly floral bouquet, just a hint of white peach coming through flanked by vanilla. The palate is fresh on the entry, very fine line of acidity, very tensile with a refined, quite sophisticated, Puligny-like finish. This is an excellent Saint Aubin from the domaine.

The 2013 Saint Aubin 1er Cru le Charmois is quite reticent on the nose, much like the les Combes at the moment. Even with rigorous coaxing it seems muted compared to the Chassagne ‘13s. The palate is vibrant on the entry with good depth, although it needs a little more complexity toward the finish. As such, it just comes across as conservative but it may improve with bottle age.

The 2012 Saint Aubin 1er Cru Le Charmois, comes from 0.37-hectares of vine planted in 1974 and is raised in 25% new oak. It has a light, pear-scented bouquet that is missing some terroir expression. The palate is light on the entry with light lemon curd and dried apricot notes, leading to a muffled finish. Drink now. Domaine Philippe Colin is based outside Chassagne at a winery just off the RN6 along with Michel Niellon and one or two others who exchanged the more quixotic idea of producing wine in the village with the comfort of space. This was my final visit during five weeks in Burgundy tasting 2012s. Unfortunately many of the wines had just been racked, so I was limited in what I could taste. I have had many good experiences with the wines in the past, although these 2012s did not quite capture the imagination as much as I was expecting. Importer: Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel. (212) 419-1400.