Overview of the Wine
Francis Egly is the fourth generation of the Egly family to make wines from their exceptionally located, old vine vineyards in the Grand Cru village of Ambonnay (home to some of the greatest Pinot Noir that can be found in all of  Champagne), where he is considered the finest grower. Francis took over from his father Michel in 1980, with the intent and commitment to take these already revered Pinot Noir dominant Champagnes to the absolute apex of quality. He began using organic methods in the vineyards, with regular ploughing, and reduced yields. Once the grapes enter his cellar, Francis makes sure to only allow for the gentlest possible extraction, of which he only keeps the purest first pressing (known as the cuvée). Francis believes deeply that complexity and structure comes not only from perfect fruit, but also from extended lees aging. This belief is felt throughout his lineup, with most of his wines undergoing a minimum of 48 months on the lees with some cuvees being aged for 100+ months! All of this meticulous work in both vineyard and cellar has led to his standing by both his peers, critics and Champagne lovers across the world as one of the greatest growers in all of France.

Organic.

5 Fascinating Facts About Egly-Ouriet

Winemaker
Francis Egly

Grape / Blend
100% Pinot Noir

Origin
Ambonnay, Champagne, France

Tasting Notes
Yellow gold. Aromas of toast, yellow fruits, red berries, baking spices. Full-bodied, effusive and powerful; flavors of ginger, cardamom, red fruits, nuts. Pair with charcuterie or smoked meats/fish; well-aged, ripe cheeses.

99 Points - Decanter
Some in Champagne can achieve grandeur of dizzying proportions, and the most talented can summon delicacy of lightfooted grace, but no village marries the two as effortlessly as Ambonnay, and no practitioner as masterfully as Francis Egly. Vieilles Vignes is his masterpiece, succeeding in capturing the golden sunlight grandeur and chalk mineral airiness of his tiny amphitheatre shaped lieu-dit of vines planted in 1946. The essence of Pinot Noir. (TS)

99 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
Aged 72 months on lees, fermented in barrel with full malo, the NV Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs Brut Les Crayères Vieilles Vignes is just a heavenly bottle, offering a kaleidoscope-like nose of buttered citrus, orange blossom, flowers, green almonds, and salty minerality. These flow to a full-bodied, rich, deep, and incredibly layered palate Champagne that flirts with perfection. It’s stunning today yet it should easily evolve for another 20 years.

97 Points - The Wine Palate
The only single vineyard cuvée produced by Egly Ouriet, the Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs NV comes from an old-vine plot in Les Crayeres with very deep chalky soils. 50% of this barrel fermented cuvée is from the 2016 vintage with the other 50% from 2015. Light rose gold in color, it explodes from the glass with wonderfully complex and expressive red berry, black cherry, wilted rose, yuzu confit, toasted brioche and honey aromas. Medium-bodied with abundant ripe citrus and red currant concentration, the super fine mousse is infused with racy, filigreed acidity that adds finesse to the exceptionally long and chalky finish with hints of lemon peel. Disgorged July 2023 and finished with two grams per liter dosage.

97 Points - Wine Advocate
Disgorged in October 2016 after 75 months on the lees, this release of Egly's NV Brut Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru Les Crayères (2008-2009 base) is a blend of the two vintages, and it's showing strikingly well, soaring from the glass with a complex bouquet of golden orchard fruit, Anjou pear, honeycomb, pralines and freshly baked bread. Full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, its enveloping core of fruit is underpinned by crisp acids and complemented by a beautifully refined pinpoint mousse, concluding with a precise, elegantly chalky finish. This is still just an adolescent, but it's very hard to resist right now. (WK)

96 Points - Vinous
The NV Brut Blanc de Noirs Les Crayeres Grand Cru explodes from the glass with a range of Pinot aromas and flavors that is just breathtaking. Bright acids and beams of saline intensity offer striking contrast. Even though it has just been Disgorged:, the Crayeres is just stunning. For readers who want to know what Pinot from Ambonnay tastes like, well, this is it. Hints of Mirabelle plum, red plum and dried flowers linger on the substantial finish. Disgorged: July, 2020.(AG) 96+

94 Points - John Gilman
This bottling hails from the famed les Crayères vineyard in Ambonnay, and having spent five years aging sur latte in the Egly-Ouriet cellars, it is from the 2009 base year. The wine is starting to drink beautifully today, offering up a deep and blossoming nose of peach, apple, a touch of hazelnut, complex minerality, wheat toast, caraway seed and a fine, smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, broad-shouldered, full-bodied and mineral-laden, with a rock solid core of fruit, fine focus and grip, elegant mousse and a long, brisk and complex finish. This is already starting to show the first elements of its secondary layers of complexity on both the nose and palate and is really an excellent bottle of bubbly. 

94 Points - James Suckling
A very striking nose with immense personality and distinctively richer, red orchard fruit characters. The oak is assertive yet fits in well adding cedary, woody aromas and spicy complexity; there's a hint of pepper too. The palate delivers an immensely concentrated flavorsome impression with ripe phenolics framing nectarine, brulée custard and blue fruit flavors. Powerful, detailed and balanced. 

93 Points - Wine & Spirits
The vines at Les Crayères were planted in 1946, on the pure chalk soils of a south-facing hill in Ambonnay. Half of this wine is based on the 2009 harvest, fermented in oak barrels, 20 percent of them new; the other half, from the same vineyard, comes from 2008. It’s the most interesting of the Egly wines we tasted, as well as the most challenging, tasting like a red Burgundy, the power of its ripe red fruit amplified by oak. It’s generous, smoky, a little tannic, and firm for all its richness. A substantial, vinous Champagne, this should gain in expression as it ages.

93 Points - Wine Spectator
A toasty version, with a fine, tightly knit mousse carrying lots of ground spice and graphite notes, as well as flavors of ripe black currant, lemon meringue pie, crystalized honey and toasted hazelnut. Well-cut, tangy acidity keeps this fresh and focused through to the spiced finish. (AN)

 Product size: 750ml