Egly Ouriet

Francis Egly has played a significant role in shaping modern Champagne. As one of the early growers to adopt a Burgundian method of meticulous farming of their own vineyards, rather than buying in grapes as is commonplace for the Grandes Marques - Egly-Ouriet has established itself at the top of the pyramid for quality and style in the region.

Egly's wines are loaded with personality, with a diverse range built around gastronomic depth, ageing potential and downright drinkability. Old vines on great terroir are managed skillfully to produce some of the best fruit in all of Champagne. Two presses with customised chilling plates ensure the finest juice is taken from this fruit, a significant investment that has had a positive impact on quality.

New oak barrels are used for most cuvées, but the aim is not to impart significant flavour from the barrels but to add depth without the risk of picking up imperfections from used wood. Lees ageing in bottle is long - particularly for the top cuvées - adding depth and complexity without masking the fruit. The results are outstanding, with Kelley saying "recent releases from Egly have been consistently nothing short of spectacular."

We are delighted to offer a selection of Egly-Ouriet's 2024 disgorgements, shipped directly from the domaine, headlined by the Brut Grand Cru. The latest release is built around the magnificent 2019 vintage. This is the best release we have tasted of this wine to date, quintessentially Egly in style with a bold, ripe core, savoury and gastronomic depth, full body and long, layered and complex finish. It was fermented and matured in oak ahead of four years on lees in bottle before disgorgement. Our MW Thomas Parker loved it, giving it 95 points and saying "this year's Brut Grand Cru is a knockout" where the "density and freshness work beautifully together".

If you are yet to try Egly's wines, this is the perfect place to start - this release is available at just £345 per six. We have a full range of Egly's latest releases available, shipped directly from the domaine and detailed below.

• Les Prémices - which sees no oak - is based around the superb 2020 vintage. This is a brilliant Champagne to drink now, with three years on lees and a brightness of fruit that makes it complex and disarmingly approachable, it showed very well at our tasting last week and offers good value for money.
• Les Vignes de Bisseuil is a premier cru which focuses on Chardonnay and has a pithy textural depth, chalky and layered thanks to its fermentation and elevage in oak before four years on lees in bottle - it is based on the outstanding 2019 vintage. This is the first time we have secured an allocation of this wine from the domaine.
• Brut Grand Cru is a knockout this year which showed incredibly well at our tasting. Based around 2019 it is a powerful, textural wine that is the essence of Egly's style. Fermented and matured in oak, it spent four years on the lees before bottling. A wine for lovers of Egly and those new to the producer who want to understand why these wines are so popular.
• Egly's Rosé is always one of the first wines to sell out - this year we expect nothing less with the base vintage also 2019. There are 24 bottles available.
• V.P. (Vieillisement Prolongée) is a firm staff favourite. Aged for seven years on the lees in bottle, it takes on real density, complexity and refinement in texture. There are a few cases available of the 2016 base vintage, as well as a handful of magnums of the 2013 base vintage, which were aged for 10 years on lees.
• Blanc de Noirs Vieilles Vignes Les Crayères is the collectors' choice. It is 50/50 2017 and 2016 this year, from vines planted in the 1940s.
• 2015 Millésime is released for the first time, together with six bottles of the 99-point 2012 that was disgorged in 2024. Both are as rare as they are impressive. 
• 2022 Ambonnay Rouge.

You can read more about Egly-Ouriet in Thomas Parker MW's blog from his visit in 2021.