Egly-Ouriet

I met Francis Egly on his domaine in Ambonnay in March this year and was blown away by the quality of the 2014 and 2015 red wine candidates for the Ambonnay Rouge Cuvée des Grands Côtés, a Côteaux Champenois made from old vine Pinot Noir. Dark, ripe and seductive, this is probably one of the finest red wines of the region, and although I can't read my detailed tasting note anymore, readers shouldn't miss it—start with the pure and fresh 2013, which is in the market today.

Needless to say that Egly-Ouriet's Blanc de Noirs remain outstanding in their freshness, finesse and complexity. The growing domaine farms 12 hectares, largely in Ambonnay, but also in Verzenay, Vrigny and Bouzy. All the wines are fermented with natural yeasts in barrels. The malolactic fermentation is blocked to maintain the freshness, which is one of the characteristic features in the terroir-driven Egly-Ouriet portfolio. All of the wines are bottled unfiltered ("since 20 years") and disgorged after four to six years as Brut or as Extra Brut. (Note that this is only a question of declaration rather than analysis, since also the bruts are dosed with only two or three grams per liter.)

The old vine Pinot Meunier "Les Vignes de Vrigny" is remarkably fine and will gain complexity over the years in the bottle. The famous Blanc de Noirs "Les Crayères" is an exceptional single vineyard Pinot Noir Grand Cru from Ambonnay, whereas the Brut Tradition and the Brut Rosé are really good values.  STEPHAN REINHARDT vinous.com