Ulysse Collin, Les Pierrieres Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut, Champagne

Wow. Strong combination of flavor and freshness. Excellent grapes and superb wine making skills

Only my second run in with this producer. Delicious and expressive with lots going on. What it does well is world class, but just a little too soft and creamy to go to the ultimate level for my palate.

V.20 (48 months on lees, 2025 disgorged) Stood out as the finest expression of this cuvée I have encountered. It delivered a striking chalk-driven mineral spectrum, laced with crisp citrus zest, fresh bread dough, and subtle sherry-like nuances. Chiseled, tightly knit, and electrically vibrant, it showcased the northernmost site’s coolness and purity with remarkable focus and energy.

Been a while given where this has gone in the market, the risk of disappointment to me was massive. Had with omakase in Tokyo as the sake options were 2x the price of this… DG 2023. This rendition took 20-30 mins in glass to start opening. Attractive buttered and honeyed popcorn with pineapple undertones on the nose, beautifully balanced palate. Could’ve benefitted from an hour decant but still lovely towards the end of the night. Delivery was slightly on the …

La Paulée "Warm-up" (Chevalier-Montrachet and Richebourg) Dinner (Ai Fiori - New York NY) : Lots of power and depth, but lean and angular for my sensitive palate. Disgorged February 2024.

Similar tasting note to my last one. Open, radiant, complex and deep, showing ripeness but the tell-tale Ulysse Collin bright acidity and tension. Pretty full-bodied, powerful and so beautiful, showing amazing aromatic complexity, superb mouthfeel and tension. I love this wine so much.

Lot 14/1; Deg. 03-2019

Base 2018. Disgorged 2022. On nose - cherry, rose. On palate - Cream, raspberry, oak, chalk, honey. On nose with that skin contact and cherry flavour reminds me of red Burgundy. But palate is very Champagne

This bottle was not the showstopper last one was, but it still was excellent. More brioche than I remember.

fantastic

Nez sur le pain frais, l’amande, la poire, la crème fraîche et un zeste d’orange Attaque ample et crémeuse avec des notes d’amandes et de crème pâtissière. Arrivent ensuite la poire, des notes salines, les agrumes et une forte signature crayeuse. La bulle est très fine et bien intégrée. L’ensemble est riche mais tendu. Beaucoup de matière, texture enveloppante, équilibre le fruit et la minéralité. Finale longue, crémeuse, avec un très léger registre oxydatif, l’amande et la craie. Champagne puissant …

V20. Now this is real champagne; clear step up from the Les Maillons. Zipping high acidity. The amazing brioche, almond paste profile from the chardonnay shines through. But this time, we also have a mix of orchard fruits, from apples to pears. Need to try this again with some age to get some of the umami to come. 94

Serious Rose tasting (Zui Yu Xuân) : Blind, deep red, rich and layered both on the nose and palate yet with amazing acidity on the palate with long prominent finish. Disgorged 16 Feb 2022. This is my 3rd time having this and always love it.

Les Pierrières V20 from Ulysse Collin is a grower Champagne made from 100 percent Chardonnay, grown and bottled from estate vineyards. This Blanc de Blancs spends around 48 months on the lees before disgorgement, resulting in remarkable texture and depth. (Disgorged 01/25 on this bottle) Tasting notes: green apple, citrus, and a subtle hint of brioche on opening. With air and a bit of warmth, it unfolds into yellow apple, pear, and quince, finishing with an endless saline drive. While …

Disgorged March, 2018, based on 2014 juice. Light color, exuberant fine bead. Medium weight. Dry but not the least bit austere. Lemon curd, hay, ginger, and a light touch of nuttiness. Excellent and still full of energy.

Enjoyed this champagne as a starter for the evening. Bright, crisp, slight almond, vanilla and honey. Terrific juice!

What an incredible bottle of champagne: 2013 disgorgement and showing perfectly now. The Selosse disciple does show notes of oxidative, pv methodology, but interestingly balances more complexity and less oxidative lead note than Selosse. Full of floral and citrus fruit notes, along with the stronger vanilla creme, toast, deep notes, this medium yellow/caramel colored wine finishes beautifully. A very nice food interplay as well.

Tasted this blind with a bunch of somms and everyone went for Lambrusco or Valtellina. Iconic. Feels way too carbonated and slightly sweet on the palate. Doesn’t have a Champagne sophistication one would look for at this level. Taste blind folks, so you don’t get fooled by the big branding game.

Ulysse Collin Lunch (Schloss Mammertsberg) : Muted nose, mineralic, light, very gentle. One of the most delicate BdB I ever had, light floral notes, no brioche, no oak, no dominant citrus scents. Very unique. 95-96

100% Pinot Noir, deg. 03/2019. This is showing more ripeness, but is superbly complex, with smoky mineral notes, sweet red berries, cranberries, citrus, sweet spices, also some mint, ginger, but also a touch of greenish herbal notes. Some smoke with some more air. Full-bodied and powerful, but with high acidity adding precision and freshness. Excellent showing.

Ulysse Collin Lunch (Schloss Mammertsberg) : Rich and ripe nose, ample, sweet spices and oak, generous with a touch of bruised apples.

100% Chardonnay, deg. 03/2020. First slightly closed and tense, but then showing notes of sweet spices, some vanilla, ripe apple, but more discreet and young. Salty mineral note with some rounder finish, medium-full but with medium-high acidity balancing everything. Opening up with some air, showing notes of candied ginger, etc. Good length. (96+)

100% Chardonnay, deg. 01/2025 More approachable, with some floral overtones, white blossoms, also some orchard again, combining the ripeness of the 2018 rendition with some more freshness, but maybe not the depth. Almost sweet ripeness, but with nice acidity cutting through everything, there is a touch of herbal greenness, but perfectly integrated. Very good, particularly in the context of the vintage.

Ulysse Collin Lunch (Schloss Mammertsberg) : This is the richest and ripest of the 2014 line up but also very impressive. Stone fruit, quince, yellow apples dominate. Very good

Ulysse Collin Lunch (Schloss Mammertsberg) : The nose is more expressive than with the 2016 and 2018 here, notes of soap (rose petals?) come to mind. Elegant palate, vinous, bubbles remain in the background. Delicate, yet full bodied, excellent vineyard work visible.

Ulysse Collin Lunch (Schloss Mammertsberg) : This is sublime, so much freshness, citrus, white flowers, like a cracking Coche with bubbles, light flinty finish. Very grand. 98-99

100% Pinot Noir, saignée method, deg. 03/2015. Notes of chinato, some vermouth, ripe pure strawberries, sweet spices, floral notes, elderflowers, cassis, there is also a salty deep mineral note, just a touch of phenolic bitterness adding some adstringency. Full-bodied, dense and powerful, with high bracing acidity and extreme length. I love this. Slightly polarizing bottle, but just so intense, layered and complex, with very unique and explosive aromatics. One of the standouts for me.

Ulysse Collin Lunch (Schloss Mammertsberg) : What a deep color, more like a red wine than a rose. Interesting experience, aromas are more in the Vermouth/Martini, space with funky elements, cassis. Given how dark this is, amazing how well they managed the tannins on this.

Très Chardo et blanc de blanc en bouche comme au nez, bulles fines et abondantes, crémeuses, acidité bien présente, fraîcheur remarquable, très beau. 93-94

Deep pink, really quite vinous. (15/2N34 and 3/2019)

93.5 rating. Disgorged 2019. Very chalky in texture - really showing it's terroir. Chalk, minerals, skinless blueberry, yellow apple. Not as fruity but more towards mineraly style. Interesting wine but not one I'd look to buy again.

Nose: white flower, pear, baked apples, apricot, brioche, yellow fruits, citrus Notes: 13% ABV, disgorged 2024, 48 months on lees. Some very good minerality here with an excellent balance between intensity and fruits. I must give my highest appreciation for the work of Ulysse Collin as this 48 months version has shown significantly better than the 36 months version. My second bottle of this wine with consistent notes. The 2019 vendange clearly seems to be an excellent one. Drinking nicely …

Lunch with friends (Atlanta, GA) : Tasted this five years ago and posted a tasting note October 2020 in the middle of Covid. Fun to revisit it again. A very unique rose Champagne that is very enjoyable and easy drinking. While I wouldn’t pay the price it is going for now, it is some great bubbly.

Dsg 02/2022. First drunk in March 2025. Nose of red fruits and pomegranate, with a vinous and vanilla note. The palate is still as intense and tannic as ever. A cranberry and pomegranate juice, reminiscent of a beautiful, distinguished and young Burgundy, with enormous tension. Beautiful tannic and vanilla finish. Little variation from the previous bottle, a rosé de Saignée that deserves a few years of cellaring.

Rating: 4,8/5,0.

48 months. Creamy, rich, unlike the previous pierrieres tried. But was outshined by the 2010 roises drank at the same night.

Beautifully balanced champagne with citrus, chamomile, bergamot. Seamless palate with excellent finish. Well received by all. Will seek more.

Nose: baked apple, pear, white flower, citrus, brioche, red fruits, orange blossom, ginger, cherry Notes: 13% ABV. Disgorged 2024. 48 months on lees with 2019 base. This is very intense and complex with an excellent and long aftertaste. The 48 months on lees surely gives a more subtle and fine taste, making quite a difference to the 36 months one in terms of style. The bubbles are quite light on this one so to some extent it drinks more like …

v19 man, hard to quantify this with notes and scores. Oxidative profile, white fruits, great focused and refined palate. Penetrating acidity. Amazing length

Great champagne, pretty and quite Burgundian in character. Yellow fruit but fairly developed - not sure I’ll wait too long with my other bottles.

Birthday Weekend Kickoff (Thai Village) : What a way to kickoff the birthday weekend celebrations. An over-the-top generous contribution from Fut, this was the 2016 base, disgorged March 2020. It poured a deep ruby red grapefruit color with a mousse that lingered for what felt like two or three minutes...it was really quite impressive. I initially picked up pear, cherry and cardamom. With air it develops a terrific savory, almost herbaceous quality that was quite captivating. Flavors of cherry, strawberry, …

This was popped after a few reds. Smoky, brioche, hazenut, orange peel, saline finish. Full bodied compared to the previous two champagnes. V18

Nose: citrus, white flower, brioche, mandarin, banana, peach, pineapple, nuts, honey dew, yellow fruits Notes: 12.5% ABV. 2016 base 48 months in lees, disgorged 2021. The nose is filled with expressive aroma of tropical fruit and citrus. I love the minerality here and its intensity. This is showing very well now. The bubbles are already quite tame and I find this quite enjoyable. The level of freshness here is incredible and its very fruit driven still. I would anticipate this …

Piedmont dinner at No Menu. Drank in restaurant Riedel. Appearance is clear, medium intensity, gol colour. Fine bubbles. Thin legs. Nose medium intensity, with aromas of stony minerality, hint of oxidative nuttiness. Developing. A little tight. On the palate, dry, focused high acidity, medium- alcohol (12.5%), medium body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of focused green apples, citrus lemon-lime, chalky limestone, wet stones minerality, strong creamy mousse. Long finish. Very very good quality. There is lots of substance, though it …

Crisp, retains acidity. (2018 disgorge 2023)

Chenin and Chardonnay from France, E & R's birthday (Brasserie Astoria) : No 1456, disgorged March 2021, Drank after 2 hours after opening, ripe yellow fruits, powerful nose, layered, precise med to high acid, fine moose, palate not giving much. Recommend to give more time to open up.

Un des meilleurs champagnes goutés à ce jours... les notes de Parker sont assez justes à mon avis: WA 97 « Il émane du verre avec des parfums d’agrumes confits, de zeste de citron, de fleurs printanières, de pâte d'amandes, de crème pâtissière et de pierre humide; il est mi-corsé a corsé, soyeux et précis, avec une tension formidable, culminant dans une longue finale saline. Une année supplémentaire avant le dégorgement donne un champagne moins primaire, plus intégré et sans …

Quel beau Champagne, fruits blancs, très Chardo au nez comme en bouche, un vin plein, riche, crémeux, des bulles abondantes et fines, tendu aussi, j’aime beaucoup.

Dsg 03/2018 Nose of tarte tatin, jasmine, and freshly cut herbs. The palate is magnificent, superior to the Krug Grande Cuvée 171 with which it was drunk alongside. It is both toasty and creamy. The overall effect is both rich and crystalline, the balance is perfect, and the juice is smooth. The citrus is juicy, with aromas of brioche and ginger. A grand finish, with ginger, sweet spices, and a saline finish. Great champagne, once again with Ulysse Collin.

One of the best Champagne’s I’ve had this year, 2014 disgorgement 48mois (2010 based) Les Roises is impeccable, with captivatingly complex aromatics and both richness and purity. It’s deep and enveloping with such textual detail, satiny and vinous with superb fruit definition, old vine concentration and a chalky mineral core. This has always been my favorite cuvée from Olivier Collin—more demonstrative than Les Enfers with that sunny southern exposure always shining through. If Montrachet could sparkle here you have it.

Are you sure?

Ulysse Collin, Les Pierrieres Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut, Champagne

Vintages

No vintages

Community Reviews