Ulysse Collin Les Maillons 36 mo sur lie (Base 2019, Deg 2023)

The NV Blanc de Noirs Les Maillons (2019 base) 36 months, disgorged in February 2023 with a dosage of 2.4 grams per liter, represents the final edition of this cuvée to be aged for 36 months. Beginning with this bottling, Collin started retaining the wines in the cellar for an additional year, hence the existence of two versions of the 2019-based rendition—one aged 36 months and another extended to 48 months. The wine is superb, unfurling in the glass with aromas of mirabelle plum, orange peel and spice mingled with apricot and brioche, followed by a full-bodied, muscular, deep and concentrated palate structured around a generous, layered core of fruit, enlivened by a pillowy mousse and succulent yet racy acids and framed by chalky structuring extract that imparts a compensatory impression of freshness. Notwithstanding the more precocious nature of Pinot Noir, it remains youthful and will reward additional time post-disgorgement.

By Kristaps Karklins April 2026