Ulysse Collin Les Pierrieres Blanc de Blancs Base Vintage 2016

Disgorged in March 2020 with 1.7 grams per liter dosage, the NV Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Les Pierrières (2016) is based on the 2016 vintage but complemented by fully 60% foudre-aged reserve wine from the 2015 vintage. Unwinding in the glass with scents of waxy citrus peel, almonds, white flowers, mandarin orange and crisp green apple, it's medium to full-bodied, elegantly muscular and vinous, with a textural attack that segues into a characteristically electric, chiseled and intensely concentrated mid-palate, concluding with a penetrating, searingly mineral finish. This is a spectacular Blanc de Blancs that will richly reward a few years' bottle age, though readers might, like me, want to try one young simply to marvel at the wine's tension and energy.