If anything, Egly-Ouriet's standing has moved a notch higher, paticularly given the current demand.
I am a huge fan of these wines and have been for many years. Fortunately, I get the chance to revisit these extraordinary champagnes on numerous occasions throughout the year as we tend to show the non-vintage cuvées at client events and lunches. I have never had a bad bottle. The quality and consistency up and down the scale is awe-inspiring. It takes meticulous attention to detail to do this as the wines barely fluctuate despite the differences in blend that take place year on year. Simply put, this estate ranks as one of the very best producers in all of Champagne (and I include all in that statement).
Every time I get the chance to taste an Egly-Ouriet Champagne I am struck by the precision and purity. They are highly individual Champagnes that are now receiving the credit they are due. Certainly, over the last decade, critics have started to recognise the quality inherent in these Champagnes and, consequently, stocks tick through a lot faster than they used to and pressure on allocations is significantly greater. Luckily, we receive good allocations and regularly hold the NV Brut Grand Cru and the NV Extra-Brut V.P. (you’ll see why it is abbreviated below) in stock.
As a company we focus on individual grower Champagnes over and above the wines of the Grandes Marques and larger producers. Why? Simply put, it is a combination of quality, value and individuality. If these wines have increased in price, it is on account of market demand, rather then marketing expenditure. The Eglys are not obsessed with product positioning, nor are they shelling out on sponsorship, instead they are solely focused on producing the finest wines they can, and they are highly skilled at that. I still struggle to understand why clients pay more for a lesser wine just because it is from a familiar, promoted name, when many of the most exciting wines in champagne emanate from smaller-scale growers who have holdings on specific terroirs.
Just over a month ago, William Kelley commented on the new releases we have offered here in his review for robertparker.com:
'Francis Egly has done it again. I've written at length in the End of April 2021 Issue 254 of The Wine Advocate about this estate's perfectionist methods and distinctive philosophy. Recent releases from Egly have been consistently nothing short of spectacular.’
I could include an extensive list of critics who have come to recognise the quality of Egly-Ouriet champagnes, William Kelley is certainly not alone!
And for those of you who may not recall the background of the estate, here is my summary of the key points, which I hope is useful in giving a brief overview.
• Egly’s wines draw on fruit from old vines in the Grand Cru villages of Ambonnay, Bouzy and Verzenay. This comment applies to his superb NV Tradition as much as the most heralded wines in his range; there is no Premier Cru fruit employed. The only exceptions are the Vignes de Vrigny, which is made from Premier Cru-classified Pinot Meunier and the relatively recently introduced ‘Les Premices’ (see below)
• All of Egly’s wines are aged well beyond the norm before release. Nothing is hurried at all chez Egly; each cuvée benefits, in terms of complexity, from extended ageing of at least four years on their lees in bottle, way ahead of the statutory minimum for Champagne. The Vieillissement Prolongé (or V.P. for short) is the most extreme example spending 84 months on its lees.
• All of Egly’s wines are low dosage (dosage relates to the amount of sugar in the liqueur d’expedition that is added after the disgorgement process. This adjusts the wine’s overall sweetness/dryness). In Egly’s wines, there is nothing to mar the sheer purity.
• All of Egly’s wines are capable of developing in bottle, growing in complexity – that comment applies to the NV Tradition as it does across the range.
• And finally, these wines are produced in smaller quantities than most of the Champagnes with which you may be familiar; they are not seeking to further the aspirations of a brand, but rather to represent their origins. They are a far cry from some of the near-debased, commercial output of many famous names in Champagne. Making wines of such high and unerring quality requires not only considerable practical skill, but equally near maniacal focus. That’s exactly what you get with Egly-Ouriet.
Please see below for details of the eight wines featured in this offer, including notes and scores from William Kelley of The Wine Advocate. Please note that he has not tasted the 2020 Ambonnay Rouge, so I include his note on the 2017 vintage as a guide.
Please also note that some stocks are on allocation given the small quantity available to us – we wish we could offer more widely but I am afraid the numbers do not allow it.
NV Brut, 1er Cru ‘Les Prémices’, Egly-Ouriet
£220 per 6 bottle case in bond
Disgorgement: 2022
Blend : An equal blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay
Base wines : 50% from the 2018, 30% from the 2017 and 20% from the 2016 vintage
90 points, William Kelley, robertparker.com
Based on the 2018 vintage and disgorged with only one gram per liter dosage, Egly's NV Brut Les Prémices delivers aromas of sweet orchard fruit, peach, baking spices and fresh bread. Medium to full-bodied, ample and satiny, it's a charming, enveloping wine with a sweet core of fruit and a bright, saline finish. Drink 2022-2030
NV Brut, 1er Cru ‘Les Vignes de Vrigny’, Egly-Ouriet
£270 per 6 bottle case in bond
Disgorgement : 2022
Blend : Pure Pinot Meunier from old vines
Base wines : 50% from the 2018, 30% from the 2017 and 20% from the 2016 vintage
91 points, William Kelley, robertparker.com
Based on the 2018 vintage, Egly's newly disgorged NV Brut Premier Cru Les Vignes de Vrigny bursts with aromas of white peach, crisp orchard fruit, apple blossom and wet stones. Medium to full-bodied, ample and vibrant, with a pure, seamless profile and a precise, saline finish, it's an immensely charming wine produced from Pinot Meunier vinified in tank. Drink 2022-2030
NV Brut Grand Cru, Egly-Ouriet
£295 per 6 bottle case in bond (please note that this is an introductory offer price which will increase to £325 from 15th October 2022)
Disgorgement: 2022
Blend: 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay (barrel fermented)
Base wines: 50% from 2017, 30% from 2016, 20% from the 2015 vintage
92 points, William Kelley, robertparker.com
Based on the 2017 vintage, Egly's NV Brut Grand Cru unwinds in the glass with aromas of pear, freshly baked bread, lemon zest, tangerine and praline. Full-bodied, layered and elegantly muscular, with terrific concentration, racy acids and chalky structure, it concludes with a long, gently honeyed finish. Egly has always been enthusiastic about the quality of his Ambonnay fruit in 2017, and this bottling certainly validates his early confidence. Drink 2022-2037
NV Extra-Brut Grand Cru V.P. (Vieillissement Prolongé), Egly-Ouriet
SOLD OUT
Disgorgement: 2022
Blend: 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay (barrel fermented)
Base wines: 60% from 2014, 20% from 2013 and 20% from 2012 vintage
94 points, William Kelley, robertparker.com
A benchmark bottling that's a staple of my cellar, newly disgorged Egly's NV Extra-Brut Grand Cru V.P. is a blend of the 2014, 2013 and 2012 vintages. Wafting from the glass with scents of pear, freshly baked bread, nougat, praline and clear honey, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and concentrated, with racy acids, chalky structure and a long, penetrating finish. Readers won't want to miss it. Drink 2022-2037
NV Brut Grand Cru Rosé, Egly-Ouriet
SOLD OUT
Disgorgement: 2022
Blend: 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay (barrel fermented)
Base wines: 50% from 2017, 30% from 2016 and 20% from 2015 vintage (this includes 5% of still red wine from the Coteaux Champenois)
94 points, William Kelley, robertparker.com
Based on the 2016 vintage and disgorged in early 2022, Egly's NV Brut Rosé Grand Cru is now bottled in dark glass, protecting it from light strike. Bursting with aromas of pear, tangerine, cherries and toasted almonds, it's medium to full-bodied, pillowy and vinous, with racy acids and a long, sapid finish. This brilliant, characterful wine is worth a special effort to seek out. Drink 2022-2035
NV Brut Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru Les Crayères, Egly-Ouriet
SOLD OUT
Disgorgement: 2022
100% Pinot Noir
Base wines: 60% from 2015 and 40% from 2014 vintage
98+ points, William Kelley, robertparker.com
A blend of the 2015 and 2014 vintages, Egly's emblematic NV Brut Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru Les Crayères was disgorged this year with only one gram per liter dosage. Bursting with aromas of mirabelle plum, Anjou pear and green apple mingled with notions of freshly baked bread, honeycomb and praline, it's full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, its satiny attack segueing into a deep, layered mid-palate of striking texture and concentration. Concluding with a long, intensely saline finish, it's another brilliant wine from a great producer at the top of his form. Drink 2023-2043
2013 Brut Grand Cru Millésime, Egly-Ouriet
SOLD OUT
Blend: 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay
100 points, William Kelley, robertparker.com
Francis Egly has produced another profound Champagne with the 2013 Brut Grand Cru Millésime. If the monumental 2008 stands out for its power, structure and intensity, the 2013 is distinguished by its harmony, finesse and completeness; both vintages are very great wines but thus quite different in style. Wafting from the glass with scents of Anjou pear, crisp yellow apple, freshly baked bread, clear honey, iodine and fresh mint, it's full-bodied, ample and pillowy, with a layered, concentrated and effortlessly balanced core of fruit, uniting precision and sensuality to compelling effect. Girdled by racy acids and animated by a delicate pinpoint mousse, it concludes with a long, penetrating finish. Is this the most elegant wine Egly has produced to date? It's certainly among the most compelling that this high quality but initially underrated Champagne vintage has delivered. Drink 2023-2050
2020 Ambonnay Rouge, Coteaux Champenois, Egly-Ouriet
£845 per 6 bottle case in bond LOW STOCK
A still Pinot Noir from very old vines with very limited production. It is aged for 22 months and bottled without filtration.
94 points, William Kelley, robertparker.com
Francis Egly's 2017 Ambonnay Rouge is a superb young wine, soaring from the glass with a captivating bouquet of rose petals, raw cocoa, orange rind and raspberries, framed by a deft application of classy new oak. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, velvety and enveloping, with exquisitely refined tannins, racy acids and a long, pungently floral finish. This cuvée hails from a parcel of old vines in the heart of Ambonnay, where the soils are a little deeper and the slope is exposed due south. Egly performs a severe green harvest to strictly limit already-low yields and keeps temperatures comparatively low during the long maceration. The resulting wine is matured for some 20 months in barrels from Egly's friend, Dominique Laurent. Drink 2020-2037
Please let us know of your interest – I say this every time we issue a set of new releases, but I can’t endorse these wines highly enough and it is a source of pride that we continue to represent them.
All the best,
Simon