The 2017 Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru les Chenevottes reveals aromas of mandarin, honeycomb and spiced peaches, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and broad-shouldered palate, its generous attack contrasting with its stony, precise finish. Colin owns a sizable proportion of old vines in this premier cru and it's one of the definite successes in the range.

Reduced from 21 to 7 barrels this vintage, the 2016 Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru les Chenevottes has a generous bouquet with toffee apple and smoked walnut aromas, lively if just missing the complexity that I have discerned in recent vintages. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, notes of white peach, tangerine and a touch of spice, with neatly integrated new oak (30% approximately) toward the finish. It might be depleted in quantity, but this is an impressive Chenevottes considering the growing season.

The 2015 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru les Chenevottes has a classic Chassagne bouquet with wet limestone and chalky scents coming through, much more uninhibited than the other premier crus from Philippe Colin. The palate is fresh and slightly chalky on the entry, crisp and tensile with plenty of energy and tension towards the finish, this would be one of my picks from this grower who seems to be getting better year upon year.

Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting, Philippe Colin's 2014 Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru les Chenevottes was much more austere and reserved on the nose compared to the Chassagne Clos Saint Marc from Olivier Leflaive tasted alongside. More green apples here, perhaps more Puligny-like in style. The palate is fresh and zesty on the entry with just a touch of dried apricot in the background. There is no heaviness here, and I appreciate the salinity on the finish. Very fine, quite elegant and graceful, if not a long-term proposition compared to its peers.

Tasted blind at the annual “Burgfest” tasting in Bouilland. The 2013 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes has a somewhat muted bouquet at the moment with dried honey, tertiary and beeswax scents, without quite the joie-de-vivre I was hoping for. The palate is quite rich and rounded on the entry, the texture more viscous than its peers, lower in acidity with a plush and lightly honeyed finish. I noticed that this actually improves with aeration; it loses some of its richness and gains more precision in the process and may warrant a higher score with a couple more years in bottle. Tasted May 2016.