Domaine Rene Lequin-Colin

Domaine Rene Lequin-Colin farms in Santenay and Chassagne-Montrachet, at the southern end of the Cote de Beaune, and the common error is to read that address as a discount. Santenay sits at the quiet end of the slope, so the name carries less weight than Puligny or Meursault. The vines are old and the decisions in the cellar are the same ones.

The range splits three ways. The regional Bourgogne bottlings, Aligote, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, come off the same land and the same hands. Above them sit the village and premier cru reds from Santenay and Pommard. At the top are the Chassagne-Montrachet premier cru whites and a little Corton-Charlemagne. What changes between the tiers is concentration and how long a wine holds its shape, not how carefully it was made.

Past the Chassagne premiers crus, extra money buys scarcity and cellaring potential rather than more flavour on the night. Opened young, the regional whites often give more pleasure than a grand cru pulled too early.

The list below is sorted by price, lowest first.