December 16, 2024
Rare Grower Champagne: Ulysse Collin
“Olivier Collin continues to produce some of the most brilliant and compelling wines in contemporary Champagne, and far from resting on his laurels, he continues to evolve” - William Kelley, Wine Advocate
Ulysse Collin, led by visionary winemaker Olivier Collin, has become a benchmark for terroir-driven Grower Champagnes. Based in the village of Congy, in the Côteaux du Petit Morin, Collin reclaimed his family’s vineyards in 2003 after decades under lease. Emphasizing organic principles, meticulous viticulture, and low yields, he crafts single-parcel Champagnes that capture the distinct personality of each site.
Notable cuvées like Les Pierrières, Les Maillons, and Les Enfers are celebrated for their precision, intensity, and complexity, reflecting the nuances of their chalky and clay-rich soils. Using natural fermentation, extended lees ageing, and minimal intervention, Olivier’s wines exhibit depth and energy. Ulysse Collin’s dedication to quality and authenticity has redefined the potential of small-batch Champagne.
We have a small allocation available at very competitive prices which are not listed on the website right now. All the wines have very high Wine Advocate scores.
Please respond to the email with your requirements to [email protected]
Ulysse Collin Les Enfers Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 60 months V17 3x75cl
Les Enfers is sourced from a 1.2-hectare vineyard planted on clay-rich soils over a chalk base in the Côteaux du Petit Morin. This unique terroir brings a balance of power and elegance, producing a Chardonnay-based Champagne with remarkable depth and complexity. The wine is known for its concentrated citrus and orchard fruit notes, underscored by a saline minerality and vibrant acidity, making it both expressive and refined.
96 Points | Wine Advocate, William Kelley
Disgorged after 60 months on the lees, and incorporating 20% reserve wines, the NV Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Les Enfers (2017) 60 months is based on the 2017 vintage. After the volume and breadth of the 2014 and 2015 iterations, and after the structure of 2016, the 2017 remains impressively vinous and intensely flavored, but it's more charming and immediate in style. Offering up aromas of mango, pear, spices, beeswax, dried white flowers and fresh bread, it's full-bodied, layered and giving, with a deep core of fruit and a resonant, saline finish. Often, it's Les Roises that's the more exotic of Collin's two Congy cuvées, thanks to its virused vines and more southerly exposition, but in 2017, that dynamic seems to have been reversed.
Ulysse Collin Les Roises Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 60 months V17 3x75cl
Les Roises comes from a single vineyard with deep clay and limestone soils, offering an opulent and structured expression of Chardonnay. This site delivers rich, creamy textures balanced by zesty acidity. Les Roises showcases aromas of ripe stone fruits and brioche, alongside nuanced chalky minerality. The extended lees ageing further enhances its layered complexity, creating a wine that is as generous as it is precise.
98 Points | Wine Advocate, William Kelley
Incorporating 20% reserve wines, Collin's NV Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Les Roises (2017) 60 months is especially compelling this year, exhibiting more density and structure than Les Enfers. Unwinding in the glass with notes of confit citrus, white flowers, sweet orchard fruit, praline and struck flint, it's full-bodied, satiny and vinous, with terrific concentration, racy acids and an abundance of chalky structuring extract, reflecting the quality that Chardonnay could attain in the 2017 vintage in the hands of one of the variety's masters.
Ulysse Collin Les Pierrieres Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 48 months V18 3x75cl
Les Pierrières is a true representation of its terroir, coming from a vineyard with thin topsoil over chalk bedrock. This setting imparts a laser-like focus and tension to the wine, with striking minerality and precision. The Blanc de Blancs bursts with notes of lemon zest, green apple, and crushed stone, exuding a vibrant energy and purity. Les Pierrières is celebrated for its exceptional clarity and long, saline finish.
96+ Points | Wine Advocate, William Kelley
Disgorged in February 2023 after 48 months on the lees, Collin's NV Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Les Pierrières is based on the 2018 vintage, complemented by some 40% reserve wines. Unwinding in the glass with notes of sweet citrus fruits and pear mingled with notions of quince, hazelnuts and almonds, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and racy, with a broad attack that segues into a vinous, muscular mid-palate, concluding with a chalky finish. Readers will note that with this release, there are no longer two different disgorgements of Les Pierrières; instead, Collin has opted to age the entire tirage for the full 48 months before disgorgement.
Ulysse Collin Les Maillons Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut 36 months V19 3x75cl
Les Maillons is a distinctive Blanc de Noirs crafted from Pinot Noir grown in clay-rich soils with chalk underneath. This terroir lends the wine its characteristic intensity and bold structure. Red fruit aromas of cherry and raspberry intermingle with subtle spices and a touch of smoky minerality. The palate is lush yet vibrant, with fine acidity balancing the richness, making Les Maillons a compelling and powerful expression of its site.
97+ Points | Wine Advocate, William Kelley
Based on the 2019 vintage, complemented by fully 50% reserve wines, Collin's NV Extra-Brut Blanc de Noirs Les Maillons (2019) is one of the best renditions of this bottling that he has produced to date. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of mirabelle and other stone fruit mingled with ornate zest, warm spices and praline, it's full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a layered core of fruit that's framed by an abundance of chalky structuring extract. This is often the most open, immediate wine in the range, but the 2019 base is more than usually tightly wound out of the gates, showing huge promise for the cellar. Perhaps that's why Collin has decided to hold back 10,000 bottles for later disgorgement, after 48 months of aging on lees before.