NV Ulysse Collin Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Les Enfers (2014) 60 months

Rating : 100

Drink Date : 2020 - 2040

Variety : Chardonnay

Source : End of March 2021, The WineAdvocate

Disgorged in March 2020 with 2.4 gramsdosage, the NV Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Les Enfers (2014) 60 months is basedon the 2014 vintage. Indeed, it's the same tirage that was released last yearafter 48 months on lees, but its additional year sur lattes has transformed itinto an altogether different wine, one that attains new levels of texture,sapid nuance and quite simply excitement. Unwinding in the glass with scents offreshly baked bread, honeyed pears, pomelo, blanched almonds, praline and whiteflowers, it's full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with a textural attacksegueing into a deep and concentrated mid-palate that's pure and precise,girdled by racy acids and complemented by an elegantly pillowy mousse,concluding with a long, intensely mineral finish. It is testimony to OlivierCollin's immense ambition and relentless work ethic that he has achieved suchresults not in the celebrated terroirs of the Côte de Blancs or the Montagne deReims, but rather in the little-known Val du Petit Morin, and in the process,he is expanding the parameters of the possible in Champagne.

GivenOlivier Collin's relentless hard work and unwavering ambition, I knew it wasonly a matter of time until he produced a wine that merited the highestpossible score that this publication can award. As readers will have by nowdiscerned, my appreciation for great wine is constrained neither by appellation(in Burgundy) nor the échelle des crus (in Champagne). The validity of thisapproach is underscored by just how good these latest releases from Collin are;all of them produced not in the grands crus of the Côte de Blancs or Montagnede Reims, but rather in the Val de Petit Morin and the Sézannais, subregionsthat are hardly household names even among wine lovers. What did surprise me,however, was just how much difference another year on the lees has made toCollin's 2014-base Les Roises and Les Enfers. Bringing additional depth,dimension, texture and sapid nuance, the results are nothing short ofremarkable. Small wonder that Collin is doing everything he can to retain allhis wines on the lees for longer. Yet to have constituted such extensive stocksof reserve wines from scratch, and to hold back the fruits of his labor for solong before putting them on the market, represents an immense financialinvestment. Happily, it is an investment that is being repaid with the most gratifyingof dividends, as any readers who are able to secure a few bottles of theseremarkable wines will be able to experience for themselves.

NV Ulysse Collin Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Les Enfers (2015)

Rating : 96+

Drink Date : 2021 - 2038

Variety : Chardonnay

Source : End of March 2021, The WineAdvocate

Disgorged with two grams per liter dosagein March 2020, the newly released NV Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Les Enfers(2015) is based on the 2015 vintage, complemented by some 15% reserve wines.Offering up aromas of citrus oil, crisp white peach, spring blossom, warm breadand buttery pastry, it's full-bodied, layered and muscular, with terrificconcentration, lively acids and chalky dry extract, concluding with a salinefinish. I can't wait to revisit it with more time on cork, as it's still alittle reserved after its recent disgorgment.

NV Ulysse Collin Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Les Enfers (2015) 60 months

Rating : 98

Drink Date : 2021 - 2036

Variety : Chardonnay

Source : September 2021 Week 4, The WineAdvocate

The NV Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs LesEnfers (2015) 60 months is spectacular, soaring from the glass with a dramaticbouquet of citrus oil, freshly baked bread, anise, beeswax, white flowers andalmonds. Full-bodied, layered and complete, it's deep and concentrated, withracy acids and a long, penetratingly saline finish. This late-disgorged versionof Les Enfers is produced in very small quantities, but readers who can securea bottle or two shouldn't hesitate.

NV Ulysse Collin Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Les Enfers (2016)

Rating : 96+

Drink Date : 2022 - 2038

Variety : Chardonnay

Source : September 2021 Week 4, The WineAdvocate

Collin's NV Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs LesEnfers (2016) was disgorged this spring after 48 months on the lees, and it'salready showing brilliantly. Soaring from the glass with scents of vanilla pod,citrus oil, toasted bread, white flowers and nutmeg, it's full-bodied, deep andcomplete, with an ample and concentrated mid-palate, racy acids and a long,mouthwatering finish. This is a stunning Champagne, and I can't wait to see itslate-disgorged incarnation in another year's time.