Champagne

At this renowned grower estate, Francis Egly makes powerful, terroir-driven Champagnes. While the Egly family has a long history of grape-growing in the village, it wasn’t until he took over the estate in 1982 that the family began to produce estate-bottled wines. Today, Egly owns twelve hectares of vines in Ambonnay, Bouzy, Verzenay, Montagne de Reims and Vrigny. The two hectares in Vrigny are planted to Pinot Meunier, best the rest of the estate’s holdings are comprised of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay.

Egly uses old oak barrels from Dominique Laurent in Burgundy to age half of his production, which he feels provides more structure and aging potential, and also brings out more of the character of the terroir when he vinifies different parcels separately. Once the wines are bottled, they are aged for a relatively long time on their lees – a minimum of three years in the cellar, usually longer. The wines are rich and bold, with a pronounced quality and intensity. They are capable of great complexity and finesse, aided by their long lees aging.

The cuvee Tradition contains 50% reserve wines from three different vintages. The rose is similar, with about 80% red wine, also aged for a minimum three years in the cellar, resulting in a pronounced leesiness. The V.P. Extra Brut sees extended aging time, typically five years in the cellar before release, resulting in a wine of rich complexity and refinement. The flagship wine is a single-vineyard Blanc de Noirs made from Pinot Noir from Les Crayeres in Ambonnay. These vines that were planted in 1946 produce a densely flavored, authoritative wine. The vintage-dated bottling is aged in the cellar for the longest period of time, up to a decade before release.