#3: Ulysse Collin & Domaine Felettig
Estates to keep your eyes on in Burgundy and Champagne.
I am grateful for friends in high places. I am also an absolute whore for free wine, so if you send some my way, you bet I will be there to write about them (I draw the line at sleeping with my benefactors, sorry to disappoint). This is how I came to taste Domaine Felettig and Ulysse Collin. Being quite familiar with both estates for a while now, it was nice to re-try them both after each estate had undergone significant changes in style and development.
Ulysse Collin
This Congy estate is going to the next level with their strategy of holding back releases and only release wines with extended ageing going forth. Holding back releases I think will only be a growing champagne trend, as long as it’s financially sustainable for the estate. This is an impressive effort for a small independent grower such as Olivier Collin.
Ulysse Collin Les Maillons 2016 base, aged 36 months, disgorged March 2020: shows pretty caramel and honeyed notes. Mostly still fresher citrus fruit notes and purity.
Ulysse Collin Les Maillons 2012 base, aged 84 months, disgorged March 2020 : definitely richer than the previous one with some more toasted honey notes, rounded and lush but lively, showing the evolution and effect of the extended ageing fully.
Ulysse Collin Les Roises 2014 base, aged 48 months, disgorged March 2019: star of the freaking show. This is rich and complex, with seriously deeper and caramel notes. It is lush and complex and think if left to age in the cellar, it is sure to be even more expressive and beautiful to behold.
From a separate tasting, I’ve also tried Ulysse Collin Les Enfers 2014 base, aged 36 months: rich and full of complexity, although not showing much at the moment. This needs time to develop and open.
Domaine Felettig
Some say this is a Chambolle rising star comparable to Georges Roumier. I think it’s actually not that flattering because I don’t think Roumier is all that good, at least any more. If you would love to prove me wrong by inviting to taste verticals of Les Amoureuses and Musigny, my tongue is waiting. 👅 But it’s much like someone saying to me, wow you really remind me of Brigitte Bardot now:
Yeah, I thought so. Not so flattering, mon ami.
It’s been a few years since I’ve had any Felettig and there has been some marked improvements to the domaine, which make it even more worth collecting and keeping back cases to age now while the prices are still relatively accessible. Previous Felettig felt hard to open, without much of the transparency and layers that makes Chambolle so seductive. The 2018s are still quite rich and well structured, but there is nuance and more classical Chambolle characters now. The grapes are now vinified using semi-whole bunches and they use up to 40% new oak for the premier crus.
Domaine Felettig Nuits St Georges 1er Cru Les Terres Blanches 2018: herbaceous, slight mineral notes on nose. Rounded, richer citrus fruit and mineral on palate, with a slight oily texture.
Domaine Felettig Corton Grand Cru Grandes Lolieres 2018: dense mix of red and black fruit but with lifted perfumed palate. Love the structure—it is present but not in your face.
Domaine Felettig Chambolle 1er Cru VV 2018: A pretty combo of red fruit and salinity. This is most ready of the Felettig wines so far but with substance and depth. The floral flavours linger for a quite a while in the mouth after each sip. I would drink this first out of the rest, for everyday.
Domaine Felettig Chambolle 1er Cru Les Feusselottes 2018: This is more floral and perfumed compared to the VV, with a touch of barnyard and savoury notes. It feels much inkier and deeper with excellent black fruit.
Domaine Felettig Chambolle 1er Cru Les Combottes 2018: It is noticeably spicier than the others and more savoury—a gourmand wine. This will take longer to open but I think a richer side of Chambolle that people will love.
Domaine Felettig Chambolle 1er Cru Les Carrieres 2018: Placed last out of the Chambolle 1er crus, it feels most complete as an amalgamation of the best of each 1er cru into one bottle. This cuvee represents therefore the best snapshots of Chambolle terroirs. It is red and dark fruit, savoury aromas, peppered with spice and floral notes, and some saline touch on the finish. What can I say again, but so ‘complete’.
Domaine Felettig Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Reignots 2018 Magnum: Gloriously delightful in a nutshell. I would have though a Reignot magnum in a big vintage like 2018 would be hard to open up but this had spot on red fruit and sense of purity that is increasingly hard to find. Truly a VR made with a Chambolle touch.
Very best, Label Drinker-in-Chief
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