Few Champagne producers so universally stir the sommelier’s soul as does Egly-Ouriet. As soon as the bottle hits the table, everyone who knows anything about wine starts to pay attention—and then the bottle is emptied almost immediately, like rabid hyenas jumping on an antelope. Their top bottling, “Les Crayères,” is truly something special.
First introduced in 1989, this legendary single-vineyard Champagne is somehow fresh yet vinous, delicate yet powerful, and undeniably Champagne but with a deeper, Burgundian sensibility and pure Pinot-fruited core. There is an intense Pinot Noir character to the wine, which in other hands rarely makes it all the way through the
Méthode Champenoise process and into the glass. So often in Champagne, it feels like the grape gets lost in the process. Not here; not with this wine. This is sparkling Pinot Noir at its finest, and rarest, yet it still comes in at a price well below those of wines it clearly leaves in the dust. SommSelect managed a tiny allocation of Egly’s latest release, so if you’re fortunate enough to get three bottles today, I raise my glass to you!
“Les Crayères” is a small vineyard located in the eastern side of the village of Ambonnay, in Champagne’s Montagne de Reims region, which is famous for producing deep wines that showcase great Pinot Noir varietal character. The deep soils of Les Crayères are composed of the purest chalk on the planet. Vine age is now at 70 years—almost unheard of in Champagne, where dedication to the land and its farming is still rarely seen in the region. Egly-Ouriet’s farming is all organic and necessarily meticulous: It’s HARD to farm organically in Champagne, given the climatic conditions, not to mention the amount of extra work involved.
Francis Egly—the 4th generation in a family of vignerons—is coming up on his 40th harvest running the family domaine. Safe to say, he knows a thing or two about winegrowing. He also likes to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the vineyard. Grapes from this 1946 planting are harvested extremely late for the region (well after anyone else), allowing full flavor development but risking the vagaries of Mother Nature so late in the season. This intense scrutiny and attention to detail is not without its drawbacks; there will never be enough wine to go around to all the diehard fans of this cult wine. Egly owns approximately 30 acres of land (20 in Ambonnay), and that is about as much as they will ever be able to handle at this quality level. Over 80% of the plantings are Pinot Noir, as is customary in the region.
Once the grapes for Les Crayères are hand-harvested—in this case, from the 2009 and 2010 vintages—they are naturally vinified with indigenous yeasts in a combination of used and new Burgundy barriques, then aged on lees in the cellar for over 6 years before Francis even considers bottling the wine. After the wine is disgorged, it receives a minor dosage (around 3 grams of sugar/liter) to balance out its acidity. The wine is then bottled unfined and unfiltered, just one more reason that the cuvée has so much body and texture.
This stunning wine from Egly is as complex as it gets, but it doesn’t take an expert or wine nerd to see how amazing it is. In the glass, you’ll notice hues varying from rose gold to copper, with little flecks of silver at the rim. The nose unfurls slowly at first, but as the wine warms just a touch, out leaps dried honeycomb, fresh first-of-season Rainier cherries, mandarin peel, with a background of minerality that reminds me of Gerolsteiner mineral water. The glycerol palate is big, bold, and rich, but has such acidity that it remains very lively. The flavors run the gamut, from forest floor, white and yellow peaches, strawberry preserves, lemongrass, salt-roasted Marcona almonds, marjoram, saffron, and allspice. “Les Crayères” has the aging potential to outlive us all, but the extended cellar time and late release to these wines gives it an early approachability. Good luck not popping all the corks as soon as you get them—you’re a stronger person than I am. In a perfect world, serve it around 50 degrees and let it warm up in the glass a bit, watching (and tasting) the development as it starts to unwind. Large, open-mouthed Champagne flutes or white Burgundy glasses are best suited for its enjoyment, letting some air get into the wine (and some carbonation out of it).
If there’s any Champagne on the planet that stands up to big flavors and heartier foods, this is the one. Don’t waste that opportunity. Coming on summertime, pop this with grilled BBQ shrimp, served with a side of macaroni and (super funky) cheese. Just make sure to burn a little crust of cheese on top, like mom always did…The recipe here is a bit further down the page, and ‘upgrade’ the cheeses for maximum results. Enjoy!
