Collet Millésime 2016

Collet Millésime 2016 brings the breadth of this grower-owned Champagne house into a clearly defined vintage release. The blend is 61% Pinot Noir and 39% Chardonnay, drawn from Grand and Premier Cru villages, with a dosage of 7 g/L. Those details give the 2016 a more precise identity than Collet’s non-vintage house blends, where continuity across harvests plays a larger role. Champagne Collet is based in Aÿ and was founded in 1921 by a collective of winegrowers who chose to make and market Champagne together. That ownership model still shapes the house: growers own the brand and vineyards, while Collet’s technical team handles vinification, blending and ageing. The result is a sourcing base broad enough to support a full maison-style range without losing the direct connection to its grower network. Millésime 2016 sits naturally between the permanent blends and the house’s more specialised releases. Pinot Noir leads the composition, with Chardonnay providing the balance, while the Grand and Premier Cru sourcing gives the wine a narrower frame than Origine Brut, which reaches across a far wider network of crus. At 7 g/L, the dosage places the vintage within a measured Brut register rather than pushing it towards either a sweeter or markedly austere style. The rest of the portfolio helps clarify its role. Art Déco Brut is the clearest introduction to Collet’s house blending, while Art Déco Extra Brut offers a dosage comparison. Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noirs isolate the grape varieties more directly. Millésime 2016 is the step into a declared vintage, before the range moves towards the more elaborate prestige treatment of Esprit Couture or the single-parcel specificity of Aÿ Grand Cru. For buyers who want Collet with a clear harvest identity, this is the central vintage bottle: 2016, Pinot Noir-led, Grand and Premier Cru sourced, and built around a 61/39 two-grape blend. It is best understood as a specific release rather than a generic house style, with the vintage and blend proportions integral to what the bottle represents.