Ulysse Collin Les Maillons (L16) Rose de Saignee Extra Brut Champagne

Olivier Collin is based in the village of Congy, and while he comes from a family of vine growers, this was not his path early on. Olivier studied law, and it was not until a visit to Burgundy during his early days of university that he caught the bug, and he began to wonder if the idea of terroir so heavily relied on in Burgundy could be exploited further in Champagne. Using his legal nouse, Olivier began the process of reclaiming the family vineyards from long held contracts with a large Champagne house, and started his journey with 4.5 hectares of Chardonnay vines in his home town of Congy. A further parcel of Pinot Noir from the Les Maillons vineyard near the town of Sezanne in the Coteaux du Sezannais followed, and has been added to with the vineyards of Les Roises and Les Enfers, two neighboring parcels of Chardonnay with different expositions in his village of Congy.

Collin’s vineyards are ploughed, and yields are controlled when required. Grass is allowed to grow naturally during the winter, no herbicides or pesticides are used and strict sorting occurs at harvest. In the Congy cellar, the grapes are pressed in a traditional 1950s Coquard press, and the juice is vinified in a growing collection of large-format casks with no added yeasts. Collin neither fines nor filters, and he ages each pressing in old barrels of varying sizes after which they are blended and bottled in July. The wines are disgorged with a tiny dosage between one and three grams per litre.

Base 2016, disgorged in March 2020, Collin’s single-vintage saignée rosé, first made in the 2011 vintage, comes from a parcel of Pinot Noir in Les Maillons which is cropped at less than 50 hl/ha. Oliver has regularly stated how difficult it is to make this style of wine, yet the wine in the glass always makes it look so easy. The fruit is typically macerated for 24-36 hours depending on phenolic maturity, and aged in barrel for one year. Olivier keeps 20% of the stems, which are layered in the ferment. Dosage is 2.4 g/L.

Other Reviews....
The NV Extra Brut Rosé de Saignée Les Maillons (2016 base) is fabulous. Rich and expansive, with soaring aromatics, the Maillons is a drop-dead gorgeous beauty. The purity and intensity of the Pinot is so striking. Rich and dense, yet also wonderfully gracious, the Maillons is a total knock-out. It is a wine with tremendous personality and character. I loved it.
96 points
Antonio Galloni - Vinous