Champagne, Ulysse Collin, Le Jardin d'Ulysse
About Producer
Since 1812, the Collin family had worked as winegrowers and coopers in the Coteaux du Petit Morin region, southwest of the Côte des Blancs and north of the Côte de Sézanne. In 1930, Georges Collin was the first Récoltant-Manipulant in Congy, at 18km southwest of Vertus. In the 1950s, René Collin expanded the estate and began blending his own champagne. However in 1987, decision was made to lease out the totality of the family vines to a big champagne house. Influenced by a life-changing trip to Burgundy as a young student, Olivier Collin, a lawyer by training who learned the winemaking ropes with Anselme Selosse, decided to take back the 8.7ha family vineyards in 2003. Starting his own domaine as Champagne Ulysse Collin and placing terroir at centre stage of his winemaking philosophy, Olivier Collin produces exclusively single-vineyard champagne from naturally farmed grapes.
Varietals
This extra-brut cuvée debuted in 2015 as a blend of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier coming from a 1.55ha plot of old vines planted on soft clay and silex topsoils over limestone subsoil. Six-month fermentation is done with natural yeasts in used Burgundy barrels. Bottles are aged sur lattes for 5 years and dosage is 1-2g/L.
About Appellation
One of the first mentions of vines in the region was made by Saint Remigius, the Bishop of Reims who baptised the King of the Franks Clovis I in 496, who listed in his testament a vineyard in the suburb of Reims. Much has been written about the key roles of Dom Pierre Pérignon (1638-1715), a Benedictine monk at Hautvilliers Abbey, and Frère Jean Oudart (1654-1742), from Saint-Pierre-aux-Monts Abbey in Pierry, in the development of Champagne as we know today. In 1690, 'Champagne Wines' were first mentioned to designate sparkling wines of the region, and it was also the first time in France that a wine was identified as produce from a specific region. Today, the vineyards covers 34,300ha in four sub-regions, Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs and Côte des Bar. Within the three first sub-regions, there are 17 Grand Cru communes. While the main grape varieties are pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier, four other varietals are also used in some blends, arbane, petit meslier, pinot blanc and pinot gris (known locally as fromenteau).
Tasting Notes
Aromatic nose of white stone fruits, citrus, brioche and flowers, seamless mouthfeel with crisp texture, excellent tension and good depth, oodles of flavours of white peach, apricot, apple, toast, hints of lemon and marzipan intermixed with subtle mineral undertones, lively acidity and refined bubbles leading onto a long, zesty finish. This is a splendid champagne with excellent balance, remarkable precision and expressive personality. I particularly love the vibrant fruit purity and lingering freshness on the palate that add an alluring lift to the aftertaste. (01/2022)