"Cult" Wine For Champagne Lovers
There are winemakers who craft fine wine, and then there are artists who redefine the craft. When we witnessed the transition in the 1980s from Michael Egly to his son, Francis, it was clear that Francis wasn’t going to be satisfied with the Champagne status quo. He doesn’t consider his competition among the great Champagne houses, but instead among the legendary producers of Burgundy.
Egly’s practice of harvesting very ripe grapes and aging his wines in barrel for years longer than almost any other Champagne house are some of the practices that set his art apart from the rest; yet it is the results that captivate. Egly-Ouriet Champagne is age-worthy, sumptuous and at times surreal; these bottles are unquestionably the pinnacle of Pinot Noir-based Champagne.
A new, vibrant wine blending Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier in equal parts and sourced from vineyards on the Massif de Saint-Thierry, near the village of Trigny, northwest of Reims. Bright and precise, with peppery notes and citrus zest. Translated from the French, ‘prémices’ signifies “a beginning.” Derived from the Latin primitiae, which means the first fruits of a harvest, set aside as an offering to the gods in antiquity.
Few vine growers cultivate Pinot Meunier on premier cru land; fewer still on terroir that is essentially an extension of the noble Montaigne de Reims. A spicy, subtle yet enchanting wine.
A selection of older-vine fruit, 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, from the villages of Ambonnay, Verzenay and Bouzy, aged for at least three years in bottle. Red berries, blood orange, incense, blond toast.
Grand Cru Extra Brut Vieillissement Prolongé $134.99
70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. ‘V.P.’ spends more than seven years on fine lees, giving the wine its layered complexity and profound depth. (Vieillissement prolongé means “extended aging”). This wine outperforms many vintage wines on the market — and even many vintage wines don’t spend this much time in the cellar. An unforgettable Champagne, and benchmark of the estate.
70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, with the addition of Ambonnay Rouge for color. Suave, silky and profound; a very serious rosé Champagne, aged for more than three years in bottle.
Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru Brut ‘Les Crayères’ Vieilles Vignes $199.99
Older-vine Pinot Noir (planted in 1946) from the pure-chalk vineyard of ‘Crayères.’ Unquestionably one of the finest, south-facing terroirs in Ambonnay, ‘Crayères’ is a taste of history, a look back at what Champagne was like 100 years ago before Chardonnay vines were introduced.
Grand Cru Brut Millèsime 2011 $209.99
70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, sourced exclusively from grand cru vineyards in Ambonnay. Winemaker Francis Egly ages his vintage wines from six to eight years in bottle, depending on the vintage, for the ultimate in texture and concentration.