Ulysse Collin

The Collin family had farmed in Congy for generations but had leased their vineyards to the local cooperative in the mid-twentieth century, with most fruit going into anonymous broad-market Champagne. Olivier Collin, after agronomy and viticultural studies, decided to recover the family's vineyards and bottle under his own label. He trained with Anselme Selosse at Jacques Selosse in Avize during 2002-2003, absorbing the Selossiste philosophy of single-vineyard, oak-fermented, terroir-led grower-Champagne. In 2003, the cooperative leases expired and Olivier took back the family vineyards. The first Ulysse Collin releases came in 2004, named for Olivier's grandfather Ulysse Collin.

• Collin family vineyards leased to cooperative through mid-twentieth century
• Olivier Collin trained with Anselme Selosse 2002-2003
• Vineyards recovered in 2003 when cooperative leases expired
• First Ulysse Collin releases in 2004; named for Olivier's grandfather

Congy sits in the Coteaux du Petit Morin, a small Champagne sub-region between the Côte des Blancs and the Sézannais. The sub-region's chalk-clay soils sit at a transitional terroir position: less pure chalk than the Côte des Blancs but with more clay-mediated chalk influence than the Sézannais further south. The Coteaux du Petit Morin has historically been a volume-fruit source for major Maisons, with little international visibility for individual producers. Olivier Collin's Ulysse Collin work has put the sub-region on the international grower-Champagne map for the first time, with subsequent Coteaux du Petit Morin grower-bottlers building on the visibility.

• Coteaux du Petit Morin sub-region between Côte des Blancs and Sézannais
• Chalk-clay soils at transitional terroir position
• Historically a volume-fruit source for major Maisons
• Ulysse Collin's work put the sub-region on the international grower-Champagne map

Olivier Collin's cellar practices follow the Selossiste template: 228-liter Burgundy oak fermentation, indigenous yeast, low or no dosage, extended bottle aging on lees, and minimal cellar intervention. The estate's cuvées are organized by single parcel rather than blended across the estate's holdings, with each cuvée named for the lieu-dit it comes from. The result is a consistent stylistic signature (oak-influenced, oxidative-toned, chalk-driven) applied across distinct terroir expressions. The wines age remarkably well, with extended bottle development revealing additional complexity over decades.

• 228-liter Burgundy oak barrel fermentation across all base wines
• Indigenous yeast, low/no dosage, minimal intervention
• Cuvées organized by single parcel, named for the lieu-dit
• Selossiste-template approach producing consistent stylistic signature across distinct terroirs

The Ulysse Collin range comprises four primary single-parcel cuvées, each Extra Brut and vintage- or multi-vintage-built depending on the parcel: Les Pierrières (Chardonnay from a chalk-rich parcel; the most internationally recognized Ulysse Collin cuvée), Les Maillons (Pinot Noir blanc de noirs from a structured-terroir parcel), Les Roises (Chardonnay from old vines, with greater oak influence and aromatic complexity), and Les Enfers (Pinot Noir blanc de noirs from a smaller parcel with riper-fruit profile). Production scale across all four is small, with most allocation through long-term client relationships and significant secondary-market premiums on retail releases.

• Les Pierrières: Chardonnay from chalk-rich parcel; most internationally recognized cuvée
• Les Maillons: Pinot Noir blanc de noirs from structured-terroir parcel
• Les Roises: Chardonnay from old vines with greater oak influence
• Les Enfers: Pinot Noir blanc de noirs from smaller parcel with riper fruit

Ulysse Collin has built one of the strongest contemporary cult reputations in grower-Champagne over the 2010s and 2020s, with Les Pierrières in particular treated as one of the benchmark Chardonnay-led Selossiste cuvées alongside Selosse Initial and Agrapart Avizoise. Olivier Collin's commercial discipline (small production, allocation-based distribution, refusal to scale up) has preserved the cult positioning despite international demand. The estate sits firmly within the Selossiste movement's geographic spread, demonstrating that the Selossiste idiom can extend beyond Avize and the core Côte des Blancs to less-visible Champagne sub-regions. The Coteaux du Petit Morin has subsequently become a recognized terroir name on international wine lists, in significant part due to Ulysse Collin's visibility.