Champagne Les Maillons (base 2020, 48 months elevage) - Ulysse Collin

Les Maillons comes from Barbonne-Fayel in Champagne’s Côte de Sézanne, a warmer, often overlooked corner where Ulysse Collin farms 2.5ha of a six-hectare, east-facing vineyard planted to Pinot Noir in 1971. Heavy, iron-rich clay over chalk gives the wine its muscular, savoury character, while Olivier Collin’s low-intervention approach, barrel élevage and long lees ageing build remarkable depth. The 2020 base brings ripe fruit, concentration and freshness from an exceptionally warm, dry year. Expect crushed raspberry, red cherry, smoky spice, toasted nuts and a saline finish. Delicious with roast chicken, pork belly, mushroom tart or simply very good fish and chips.