Ulysse Collin's home is in the village of Congy in the Coteaux du Petit Morin, 30 kms south-west of Epernay. The business is managed by the talented head of the business Olivier Collin. The principles of singularity and expressing terroir are nowadays the signatures of his estate Olivier produces exclusively single-vineyard champagnes made from naturally farmed fruit using sustainable farming practices.
His work in the cellar is similarly straightforward, with an emphasis on minimal interference. He uses native yeasts and as little sulphur as possible (the aim is 50–65 mg/l), and the wines are topped off with minimal dosage (a maximum of 2.4 g/l) and bottled at a lower pressure than most. All of his base wines come into contact with oak and the reserve wines are aged in barrels and casks. Each cuvée is disgorged twice a year, the perfect time being mid-February, “when it is cool and there is less oxidation risk” and before “temperatures and workloads in the vineyard increase.”
Olivier owns 2.5 hectares of the six hectare lieu dit of Les Maillons, 100% Pinot Noir on east facing slopes in Barbonne-Fayel in the Coteaux du Sezannais . The soils are clay, iron rich over chalk, Olivier mentions the Coccoliths in the soft chalk being the major influence on the champagnes personality. The vines average age is 50 years old. Super concentration, floral and enchanting and will benefit from 5+ years post disgorgement ageing.
Technical Information:
Vineyard: Coteaux du Sezannais Premier Cru Single Vineyard Les Maillons
Grape Varieties: 100% Pinot Noir
Base Year: 2014
Lees Ageing: 3 years
Disgorged: February 2017
Dosage: 2.4 g/l
Production: 18,000 Bottles
Drink: Now to 2030+
Tasting Note: Bursting with aromas of pears, mint, red berries, tangerine and dried white flowers, it's full-bodied, broad and layered, with an enveloping attack that segues into a deep and concentrated core, girdled by lively acids and concluding with a long, precise and saline finish. - Tasted by William Kelley
One of Ulysse Collin’s most distinguishing factors is its remote location. Situated in Congy, the drive from Reims took us more than an hour. We travelled the length of the Montagne de Reims, through the centre of Épernay and past the famous villages of the Côte des Blancs, all the way down to the Coteaux du Morin, a region of mixed farming land in the south-west of Champagne
Olivier Collin, currently Chef de Cave and co-owner, caught the wine bug in Burgundy and eventually, having spent a year simultaneously studying law and interning with Anselme Selosse, he was inspired to buy back the company.
The principles of singularity and expressing terroir are nowadays the signatures of his estate. Olivier produces exclusively single-vineyard champagnes made from naturally farmed fruit. He tried to go 100% organic in 2012, but lost the majority of his crop to powdery mildew and is therefore now “organic in a pragmatic way” (which means not certified), claiming 70% of his vines are cultivated organically. His focus during harvest is on a well-balanced yield – “too low and you miss ripeness, too high and you lose density and concentration.” In general, acid levels are around 7 g/l at Ulysse Collin, with good maturity and a low pH of around 3.05.