Egly-Ouriet Brut Tradition Grand Cru

The small Egly-Ouriet winery is one of the best in Champagne, located in the heart of the Côte de Noir. The owners of the Champagne House are Michel and Francis Egly — representatives of the third generation of the Egly family of winemakers. All of the company's vineyards are classified as Grand Cru. They occupy a small area (about 10 hectares) and are located in three communes of Champagne: Ambonnay has the largest vineyard (7.2 ha), with two others in Bouzy (0.3 ha) and Verzy (1.5 ha). The average age of the vines is 35 years, and one of Egly-Ouriet's vineyards was planted back in 1947. Only organic fertilizers are used in the vineyards. The Egly-Ouriet House receives only positive reviews from recognized wine experts: high ratings from R. Parker — ***** (outstanding), Wine Spectator, and other publications. Hugh Johnson highlights Egly-Ouriet in his "Wine Guide" as one of the best small producers in Champagne. The style of Egly-Ouriet wines can be described as exceptional. During the production of champagne, dosage is applied in small amounts — no more than 6 grams of sugar per liter. Egly-Ouriet champagne is very dry but not "drying", thanks to the density and expressive taste — a result of prolonged aging of the wine on the lees and relatively late harvesting of the grapes. Many winemakers strive to harvest early to preserve the necessary acidity in the berries, but the winemakers of Egly-Ouriet believe that the ripeness of the berries is very important for producing wines. Ripe grapes are those that do not require chaptalization, says Francis Egly. The natural alcohol level is over 12%, so chaptalization is not needed for Egly-Ouriet wines. Another feature of Egly-Ouriet wine production is the long aging in bottles, which gives the wine a special nobility. Egly-Ouriet wines are not fined (i.e., not treated with substances that absorb coarse particles) and are not filtered. The clarification of the wine occurs naturally due to prolonged aging in oak barrels. The company produces about 100,000 bottles of wine annually. Behind the strict style of Egly-Ouriet champagne lies a very harmonious, refined taste with an extraordinarily expressive aroma with a mineral dominance, complemented by a fruity-floral range. Visually, the drink is extraordinarily pleasing to the eye: excellent mousse, a persistent play of small bubbles, rising in a stream from the bottom. And when the glass is empty, the champagne lingers in memory with a generous and persistent aftertaste!