Winemaker
Damien Colin
Winemaker, Domaine Marc Colin
- Discipline
- Winemaker
- Based in
- Saint-Aubin, France
i. Biography
Damien Colin handles winemaking and aging at Domaine Marc Colin in Saint-Aubin, France. The work belongs to a family estate created in the 1970s, with the current emphasis kept close to its Burgundian materials: Saint-Aubin, Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet, Chardonnay-led wines, and a cellar practice built around precision, restraint and vineyard expression. The craft position is clear: freshness and balance are the measures, and the cellar is used to clarify rather than decorate.
Beginnings
Family succession at this estate is rooted in continuity rather than reinvention. Created in the 1970s, the domaine is now embodied by Caroline and Damien Colin, with Damien Colin’s career history tied to both Domaine Marc Colin and Domaine Marc Colin et Fils. The line of work remains attached to Saint-Aubin and to the daily decisions of vineyard and cellar that carry a family name forward. White Burgundy is the center of the domaine’s work: Saint-Aubin, Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet, with Chardonnay-led wines and 10.50 hectares planted to white grapes. The wines are described as balanced, gourmand, fresh, age-worthy and clearly expressive of terroir. In trade terms, the target is contour and clarity: aroma, texture and mineral line held in balance with richness, with Damien Colin’s decisions framed by the vineyard before the technique.
The Rise
That assessment places the wine inside a Burgundian register where tension does the work that weight might otherwise be asked to do. Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly is identified as one of Marc Colin’s signature plots. Just above Le Montrachet, it produces razor-sharp wines with citrus, oyster shell and intense salinity. A site like this asks for clean transmission: stone, cut and brightness carried without pushing the wine toward force. The cellar approach is built against excess. Damien Colin seeks finesse and balance, aims for wines to express their vineyards, uses a gentle hand with new oak, relies only on wild yeast from each vineyard, and does zero lees stirring. Those choices put the hierarchy in plain order: vineyard first, cellar second. Definition matters more than embellishment, and freshness is allowed to hold the structure.
Where They Are Now
Recent wines under Damien Colin and Caroline Colin have been described as pure, centered and deliberate. In cellar terms, that has meant less movement, with older large barrels replacing some new small barrels. The adjustment reduces cellar imprint and keeps the finished wine closer to fruit, site and line. For the 2024 wines, freshness set the decision. Colin wanted not to chaptalise, and stated the reason directly: "I did not chaptalise the wines because I wanted to preserve their freshness." The season required that choice to be made after pressure in the vineyard. "It was a very difficult season due to the mildew, and before that, we lost 5 to 10% of our volume in Saint-Aubin due to a little frost." Harvest began with measured maturity rather than excess: "We started the harvest on September 19 with maturity around 11% to 12% natural alcohol." The finished result exceeded the expectation set by the growing season. "The vintage is a very pleasant surprise because I thought the wines would be weak and vegetal, but they are not. They are quite fine and elegant." The statement aligns with the broader cellar direction: lower intervention, preserved freshness, and clarity valued over volume.
Signature
Signature bottlings include Dom. Marc Colin and Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Damien
Who is Damien Colin?
Damien Colin is responsible for winemaking and aging.
What is Damien Colin known for?
White Burgundy from Saint-Aubin, Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet.
What is Damien Colin's craft?
Responsible for winemaking and aging — Domaine Marc Colin (Saint-Aubin, France).
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