From three parcels in the village, the 2024 Saint-Aubin Cuvée Luce blossoms in the glass with notes of nashi pear, lemon oil, spring flowers and freshly baked bread, followed by a medium-bodied, pure and incisive palate with a crisp core of fruit and fine tension, before concluding in a long finish. In 2024, Damien Colin began the harvest relatively late, on September 14, and it concluded on September 22. While he lost some 5% to 10% of the crop to frost that affected vineyards in Saint-Aubin, the principal cause of low yields—as for many growers—was intense mildew pressure throughout the season. Average yields stood at around 35 hectoliters per hectare for the whites, with lower-than-average pH levels and wines reaching, for the most part, between 11% and 11.5% potential alcohol at harvest. Nevertheless, he chose not to chaptalize, in pursuit of greater freshness. Despite these challenges, the wines largely belie the difficulties of the year. Pure and incisive, they are immediately legible, with each appellation clearly articulated by site and by its de facto hierarchy. From a stylistic standpoint, they inhabit a middle ground between 2011 and 2014.(WK)

The 2024 Saint-Aubin Village Luce comes from two instead of three parcels, one wiped out by mildew. This is quite understated on the nose with light orchard fruit mixed with crushed stone scents, leaning a little towards Chassagne in style. The palate is very well balanced with fine depth. Nicely focused with touches of red apple and pear mixed with a dab of spice on the finish. Fine.(NM)