Egly-Ouriet Grand Cru Millésime 2006, opulent and sinuous

Grand Cru Millésime 2006 from Egly-Ouriet has a propensity to evolve that already now promises to astound. 

It has been only 70 years since the Champagne market was essentially dominated by the Grand Marques, a time when only a few families chose to produce and market their own wines rather than sell their grapes to the négoce. In today’s reality, where the trend of “small is better” has convinced many winegrowers to process and bottle some of their grapes to have an additional source of income by selling their Champagne directly, only a few can claim to have a history and stylistic consistency.

Francis Egly is one of the most authoritative voices among the Propiétaire-Récoltant-Manipulant and since the war his family estate has been producing an Egly-Ouriet Champagne that is a symbol of style and vision, a point of reference for Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (available in Italy thanks too Moon Import). He has almost ten hectares of vineyards in the most important villages of Montagne de Reims and his winery and cellar are in Ambonnay. Some two thirds of his vineyards - in Ambonnay, Bouzy, Verzenay and Ay - are Pinot Noir and about a third Chardonnay, always in Grand Cru villages, and he has an additional two hectares in an extraordinary old vineyard in Vrigny, the grapes from which are used to make a single-varietal Meunier wine.

The Champagnes of Francis Egly have soul and intensity and convincingly interpret a land where structure and vinosity are a distinctive trademark. The top quality Pinot Noir has reached in Francis Egly’s hands is the result of four generations during which his family has perfected an expert craftsmanship using grapes that already were exceptional and for the most part from Grand Cru villages. The vineyards have been organically cultivated since the 1980s and the low yield and decision to regularly work the land has created a model for all of Champagne. The stainless steel vats and used barrels in the winery are the only tools used to interpret the year, while the most important factor is time, which is why Francis opts for aging long on the lees. The personality of Egly-Ouriet shows itself in that vinous 

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