While the Côte des Bar is arguably Champagne’s most vocal concentration of independent, terroir-obsessed growers, the fame of the Coteaux du Petit Morin and the Côte de Sézanne terroirs—the southerly continuation of the Côte des Blancs—rests largely on the shoulders of one vigneron. It’s just as well those shoulders belong to Olivier Collin.

As a law student, Collin was another who fell into the orbit of Jacques Selosse, whose vineyard’s first stagiaire he became in 2001. Fast forward four years, and this law student-cum-vigneron had managed to untangle his family’s eight hectares of vines from the lengthy, byzantine contracts made with Pommery, and the Coteaux du Petit Morin had a star of terroir Champagne on its hands.
The Coteaux du Petit Morin is named after the river that bisects this area from east to west. It’s home to 18 villages, of which Congy is arguably the most familiar (thanks to this grower). Though just 15 miles from Épernay, the terrain is markedly different from the Côte des Blancs. The region's soils are diverse: the chalkiest area is in the north around Congy, Vert Toulon and Soulières. The further south you travel, the more the soil becomes richer in clay, and Chardonnay gives way to Pinot. Roughly half of Collin’s 8.7 hectares lie within this chalky northern sector.
Olivier Collin is one of Champagne’s most driven and inquisitive vignerons, crafting some of the most original and satisfying terroir wines. They are also some of the most sought-after, meaning Collin’s wines are only available in Australia on allocation.

A two-hour tractor ride to the south, Collin also tends a parcel called Les Maillons in the Côte de Sézanne village of Barbonne-Fayel. The deep clay and continental influence make for superb Pinot Noir terroir and can naturally and consistently ripen the grapes to 12% potential alcohol. Collin bottles his Blanc de Noirs and Rosé de Saignée from this site.

Collin’s yields are strictly controlled when required. Grass is allowed to grow during the winter, and Collin ploughs at appropriate moments throughout the growing season. No herbicides or pesticides are used. The grapes are pressed in a traditional 1950s Coquard press, and the juice is vinified with no added yeasts in a growing coterie of large-format barrels and foudre. Wines generally see 10 months’ maturation in barrel and are not fined or filtered before bottling. Depending on the cuvée, Collin disgorges after 36-60 months on lees with a tiny dosage of 1-3 g/L.

Today, Collin uses a greater level of reserve wine, which is always a good thing. His historic cuvées, Les Pierrières and Les Maillons, now contain a healthy 60% of reserves, adding layers of depth and savoury complexity. Another key to the continued rise in quality is that Olivier’s wines spend more and more time on lees. Recent releases have revealed the true breadth of Olivier Collin’s talent and the virtuosity of his terroirs.