A few more words on disgorgement (dégorgement in French): This is the process of removing the small ‘plug’ of yeast sediment that collects in the neck of a Champagne bottle, during the aging period that follows its secondary fermentation. This is when a final dosage (if any) of liqueur is added to determine the final level of residual sugar in the wine. When a Champagne is a ‘non-vintage’ wine like this one, it typically contains a predominance of one vintage combined with a percentage of wines reserved from previous years (a formula which varies from producer to producer). All Champagnes are aged for a minimum period of time on their lees (those spent yeast cells, which lend complexity and texture), and some producers, like Egly-Ouriet, vastly exceed those minimums. Regardless, non-vintage bruts are disgorged and released periodically, according to demand and the producer’s whims, and lately, producers have been more forthcoming about including disgorgement dates somewhere on their labels, as a means of letting people know which is a “new” release without citing a vintage date.

Having said all that, this bottling is Egly-Ouriet’s most recent disgorgement, from September of 2016. It spent nearly five years aging on its lees, in classic Egly fashion, and it is, not surprisingly, a knockout.

The way Francis Egly tends his vineyards, which are all planted in Grand Cru villages (with the exception of his Premier Cru Vrigny vineyards), is remarkable. He uses organic fertilizers; prefers to plow rather than use herbicides; and restricts his yields for incredibly concentrated fruit. This wine’s grapes are derived from vineyards in the Grand Cru villages of Ambonnay, Bouzy and Verzenay, all of which are within the sub-region of the Montagne de Reims—where Pinot Noir is the star but Chardonnay delivers exceptional characteristics as well. The blend is 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. Unlike other grower-producers, Francis harvests the grapes at a slightly riper point than the majority; while others fear that they will lose the acidity, he has proven that slightly riper fruit, from low-yielding old vines, creates luscious, intensely concentrated flavors without the loss of balance. The Brut Tradition sees over 50 months on lees before disgorgement, then a light five-grams-per-liter dosage that allows a beautifully transparent expression. The extended sur lie aging, coupled with more phenolic ripeness to the fruit, delivers mesmerizingly opulent, creamy texture that really sets it apart. 

The Egly-Ouriet Brut Tradition is incredibly consistent year after year. It displays a light golden yellow core moving to slight green hues on the rim. The rich and intense aromatics are led by yellow plum flesh, creamed yellow apples, lemon curd, brioche, red berries, honey, white mushrooms and crushed stones. The palate is almost full-bodied with amazing concentration of yellow cherry, yellow apple, preserved lemon, fresh cream, white mushroom, rising bread dough and chalk. The wine has recently been disgorged and will develop more complex aromas for many years to come; don’t be afraid to forget about this beauty in a dark corner of your cellar for the next 5-6 years. Ideally, consume this wine just under cellar temperature around 50-55 degrees in a large-mouthed Champagne stem, filled only halfway to the top, so the aromas can come together properly. If you only have traditional tall, thin Champagne flutes, please use an all-purpose white stem instead to avoid hindering the spectacular aromatics.