Domaine Collotte

Cremant de Bourgogne

NV Crémant de Bourgogne (blanc de noirs) - sold out
100% Pinot Noir from the lieu-dit En Lavaux which is located higher up on the slope near the valley north-west of the village which receives cooling breezes late in the day. Made in the méthode traditionnelle.

‘Strong mousse and very expressive with red fruit aromas, fresh and lively with depth of flavour, finishing bright and crisp with ample acidity.’

Current Disgorgement
Base Vintage: 2021
Disgorged: 26/01/2023
Time On Lees: 16 months
Dosage: 6.8 g/L

White

Isabelle Collotte on 2023:
“With 2023 we are very happy, except that the whites were a little low in acidity so will need some barrel elevage.” Bill Nanson, Burgundy Report, January 2024

2023 Aligoté - due SEPT
Aligoté is a full sibling of Chardonnay and when well-cared for can produce a good facsimile in terms of volume and texture, yet with a trademark crisp and refreshing acidity. At Collotte the fruit is hand-picked at optimum ripeness, then whole-bunch pressed and fermented in stainless steel, to produce a wine of delicious flavour and volume, finishing with that bright acidity. A wonderful introduction to the wines of the Collotte family and a great value wine.

2023 Bourgogne Blanc - due SEPT
Raised 100% in stainless steel tank to retain freshness and precision. This comes substantially from Champ Forey to the east of the village, with a small proportion from En La Caillée, just to the south of the village. Very expressive, fresh and lively with even a hint of exotic fruits, finishing bright and crisp with zesty acidity.

Isabelle Collotte on 2022:
“2022 – happy. A big surprise because there wasn’t a lot of rain but – from somewhere – we still had some juice – and we waited an extra week for maturity too! Only about 10% less volume than in 2023 and easy in the cuverie – though less easy in the vines due to the strong heat of the year.” Bill Nanson, Burgundy Report, January 2024

2022 Marsannay Blanc
Comes from 20-40+ year vines in 3 different terroirs of Les Etalles, En Blungey and Le Poiset and is raised 50% in oak barrels (10% new) and 50% in stainless steel. It has ripe and citrusy aromas with hints of peach skin and dried apricot. The palate has surprising richness and generosity opening with touches of dried mango and pear skin, fine acidity with long fresh finish.
“This is normally half barrel elevage. High tones that are quite vibrant – some grainy, zesty, citrus impression too. Supple, with plenty of concentration – still good energy and flavour despite being slightly generous. Long, tasty, wine.” Bill Nanson, Burgundy Report, January 2024

2022 Marsannay Blanc Les Champsalomon Cuvée Isabelle 
Just a few barrels produced of this rich, intense wine which in this vintage contains 50% of Chardonnay Rose (a rare, colour mutation of Chardonnay) with 50% Chardonnay. Intense ripe exotic aromatics and great texture allied with ample structure to carry the fruit intensity. Strikingly intense. The French market wants all of this wine, so be very quick to get any of the small number of bottles that we have to plead for each year for our market. Just 3 barrels (1 new) of this remarkable wine produced in 2022. This is always the first wine to sell out each year.

Isabelle Collotte on 2021:
“Definitely not the same history as in 2022! The elevage made us slowly happier – also a very nice surprise but we had to wait a year of elevage this surprise – the wines didn’t charm for many months. It was roughly half a harvest again – we’ve lost one whole vintage in the last three – 2019-2021. Some of the 21s are already bottled, the others are still waiting. 2013 was my first vintage – and it wasn’t easy – but it was much easier than 2021! 2016 was a much worse vintage in terms of the volume left by the frost but that simply cleaned out the vines and then everything restarted about a month later – another vintage that was easy compared to 2021!”
The wines… ‘Mineral, edgy but pure perfumed style’ describes most of the wines of the domaine in 2021 – at least on this day – so many VERY drinkable wines.” Bill Nanson, Burgundy Report, January 2023

2021 Marsannay Blanc - last cases
Shows excellent ripeness and generosity with complex barrel ferment characters and wonderful finesse and detail on the palate. Brilliant. Comes from 20-40+ year vines in 3 different terroirs of Les Etalles, En Blungey and Le Poiset and is raised 50% in oak barrels (10% new) and 50% in stainless steel. It has ripe and citrusy aromas with hints of peach skin and dried apricot. The palate has surprising richness and generosity opening with touches of dried mango and pear skin, fine acidity with long fresh finish.
“This is normally half barrel elevage but with the small volume in 21 it’s all barrel. That’s a pretty nose – with a good energy too – some florals start coming through with air. Supple, decently concentrated, modestly mineral – immodestly tasty with a nice citrus and mineral finish – yum!” Bill Nanson, Burgundy Report, January 2023

Rosé

2019 Marsannay Rosé
Beautifully perfumed showing hints of strawberries and cream. Shows lovely texture and depth with more weight and character than one often finds for such a ‘northern’ Rosé.
‘Vivid orange-pink color. Cherry, redcurrant, orange zest and a suave floral nuance on the mineral-inflected nose. Juicy and broad on entry, offering sappy red fruit flavors that are braced by building spice and mineral accents. Tightens up on a long, focused finish that echoes the floral and cherry notes.’ 90 points, Josh Raynolds, Vinous, June 2020.

2023 Marsannay Rosé - due SEPT

Red - Bourgogne and Marsannay Village

2022 Bourgogne Cuvée de Noble Souche
Comes mostly from vines planted in 1947 in Champ Forey (80%) to the east of the village with the other 20% coming from vines in Chambolle Musigny. The fruit is hand-picked and 100% de-stemmed and fermented in stainless steel to produce a fresh, vibrant style. The palate shows a generosity and depth rare for this level. Ripe, stylish and beautifully balanced for enjoyment now. Very limited.
“Dark fruit – fine precise high tones – that’s very attractive. Round, pretty visibility of fine flavours and small grains of ripe tannin. That’s a very top Bourgogne!” Bill Nanson, Burgundy Report, January 2024

2022 Marsannay Vieilles Vignes (2023 due Spring 2024)
The Marsannay Vieilles Vignes is not made every year, but when it is it’s a terrific value, coming as it does from a selection of old vine material (50+ year-old vines), taken from around the domain’s holdings. The vineyards used are typically Les Etailles, Les Grasses Tetes, Les Favieres, En Combereau and Les Boivins. Elevage is usually split evenly between tank and barrique.
“A pretty nose also with a nice floral accent – but tighter than the Bourgogne. Hmm, that is just a wine of poise and linearity, finely textured. Super wine – really an excellent villages!”
Bill Nanson, Burgundy Report, January 2024

Red - Proposed 1er Cru Marsannays (From North to South)

Winemaking
The wine-making approach for all the top reds is quite similar. All fruit is hand-picked and hand-sorted, then 100% de-stemmed followed by a one-week cold-soak at 10°C, gradually warming to a natural ferment over a couple of weeks. Extraction is via pigeage (plunging) to begin with then moves to lighter remontage (pump-overs) at about the half way stage. All the wines are matured in 25% new oak barriques for 12 months and bottled without filtration. Collotte uses a single cooperage and barrel specification, the aim being to allow the different terroirs to express themselves consistently. All the barrels are Tonnellerie Rousseau Allegro barriques.

2021 Marsannay Champsalomon - last cases
From 50+ year-old vines located higher on the slope and based largely on the hard Comblanchien limestone. This shows fine firm tannin structure with beautiful integration of all the elements. Always a very generous and beautifully balanced wine, showing sumptuous fruit and fine, silky tannins.
‘Narrower but also a nose of good clarity and of direct red fruits. Broader, a hint more tannic, and just a modest few mm of cushion for this wine. That’s an easy but clean and tasty wine. Another really very tasty wine that’s the most floral-perfumed of these in the finish.’ Bill Nanson, Burgundy Report, January 2023.

2021 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes - last cases
From two parcels of old vines; one based on Crinoidal limestone (known in France as Calcaire à Entroques), the other Comblanchien. This wine is very perfumed and pure with real depth, yet showing a lovely minerality and elegance, finishing with great length and very fine tannins.
‘This nose is a little softer and more perfumed. Direct, silky, and creamy in style. This is long, creamy and very attractive – lovely wine.’ Bill Nanson, Burgundy Report, January 2023

2022 Marsannay Champsalomon
From 50+ year-old vines located higher on the slope and based largely on the hard Comblanchien limestone. This shows fine firm tannin structure with beautiful integration of all the elements. Always a very generous and beautifully balanced wine, showing sumptuous fruit and fine, silky tannins.
‘A broader higher toned width of aroma, slowly adding floral notes. More structural, indeed architectural, in shape – the most beautiful intense crystalline finishing fruit. Great wine – but it will need some time.’ Bill Nanson, Burgundy Report, January 2024.

2022 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes
From two parcels of old vines; one based on Crinoidal limestone (known in France as Calcaire à Entroques), the other Comblanchien. This wine is very perfumed and pure with real depth, yet showing a lovely minerality and elegance, finishing with great length and very fine tannins.
‘2017 – the First vintage. Hmm – that’s a lovely nose with extra florals too – a beauty. This is a wine to sink into as the flavour melts over the palate – slowly a finer, but more more visible, structure as you arrive in the finish. Super wine.’ Bill Nanson, Burgundy Report, January 2024

Red - Fixin, Gevrey-Chambertin and Chambolle-Musigny

2022 Fixin Les Champstions - due SEPT
Made from vines planted in the early 1980’s this wine shows lovely aromatics and remarkable finesse for the appellation. Fixin is reknowned for producing sturdy, rich Pinots yet here we have a wine with much more finesse than one usually expects. A beautiful introduction to the wines of Fixin and great value too, for this appellation just to the north of Gevrey Chambertin.
”A narrow nose, slightly cushioned with really a lot of width but only in the depth today. This starts wonderfully silky and has a fine vibration of flavour – slowly, slowly fading with a narrow line of flavour. A beauty!” Bill Nanson, Burgundy Report, January 2024.

2022 Gevrey-Chambertin
From vines planted in 1955 located high up above the village on the combe in Les Evocelles and En Champs just below the 1er cru Champeaux vineyard. The wine shows lovely fine perfume and real finesse in the finely detailed tannins. Very attractive style and one of the best vintages yet of the Gevrey.
”A blend of three parcels so no name. Deeper, darker fruit – good depth a little less width. Silky wine, almost a mm of cushion. Intense, dark, juicy finishing in more velvet style but with hardly any dryness.” Bill Nanson, Burgundy Report, January 2024.

2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Evocelles - last cases
Just a few barrels of this single vineyard bottled on its own from vines planted in 1955 located high up above the village on the combe in Les Evocelles. The wine shows excellent lift and finesse and freshness to the aromas. The palate is very expressive already with fine structure and silky fine tannins. A very fine addition to the range.
”The domaine is the only owner of Evocelles in Gevrey – as opposed to Brochon – touching on Champeaux. A tighter nose but one that slowly releases a little red fruit. Supple, cushioned but still a wine with energy. A faint grain of tannin frames these flavours but without any dryness attached to them. Layered in the middle and finishing very, very, well. A very good wine in 2021…” Bill Nanson, Burgundy Report, January 2023.

2021 Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes - last cases
Substantially from 40-50+ yo vines planted just beneath 1er cru vineyards in the lieu dits of Les Échanges and Les Athets, with a small proportion from the adjoining Les Chardannes and Les Herbues. Deep rich and intense a remarkably generous village wine that punches well above its weight for both character and intensity.
”80% aux Echanges plus Athets and les Chardannes. The last vintage of this will be next year (2022) as the family (from Chambolle) who had leased the vines on Fermage will get the vines back and exploit themselves.
There is a little extra to this nose but it’s also very much in the slightly mineral-edgy but pure perfumed style of the rest of their range. Broad, beautifully textured, satisfyingly mouth-watering and tasty – this is also, like the Evocelles, a very attractive wine in 2021 with a great, late-arriving, perfume in the finish. Super again!” Bill Nanson, Burgundy Report, January 2023.

“A delicious range in 2020 - and some worth a special search. Well done !” Bill Nanson, Burgundy Report, November 2021.

2020 Marsannay Les Boivins - SOLD OUT
From 50+ year-old vines located higher on the slope and based largely on the hard Comblanchien limestone. This shows fine firm tannin structure with beautiful integration of all the elements. Always a very generous and beautifully balanced wine, showing sumptuous fruit and fine, silky tannins.
‘Tighter, deeper but still with fine aromatic purity. More direct acidity but with delicately floral energy and even a touch of licorice. 1996 in style but likely to be drinking magnificently for the next 2-4 years I think before the acidity has the upper hand.’ Bill Nanson, Burgundy Report, November 2021.
”The 2020 Marsannay “les Boivins” from Domaine Collotte is nicely ripe in the style of the vintage, but not overripe, as it comes in at 13.5 percent octane and delivers a vibrant bouquet of black cherries, black raspberries, woodsmoke, grilled meats, a lovely base of soil, coffee bean and a touch of new oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied and quite transparent, with a good core of fruit, tangy acids, moderate tannins and a long, complex and nicely balanced finish. This will need a few years in the cellar to soften up its backend tannins a bit more, but should drink very nicely not too far down the road. Good juice. 2028-2050. 90+.” John Gilman, View from the cellar, March-April 2023

2020 Fixin Les Crais de Chêne Cuvée Vieilles Vignes - SOLD OUT
Very old 80+ yo vines giving painfully tiny yields, producing fruit of such intensity as to give an almost sweet impression to the wine. This is always the richest and deepest wine of the cellar. This would give many Gevrey Chambertins a run for their money for depth and generosity and most likely beat most of the competition.
”Thats a very wide and almost fruit cordial style of nose – one to fall into! Good acidity, layers of flavour, of course, a little more structural but bravo – thats a super Fixin – it has the material for old bones but I’d be demolishing these bottles in the first three years – with abandon!” Bill Nanson, Burgundy Report, November 2021.