Hot on the heels of Francis Egly’s 2008 Grand Cru, a future unicorn wine that was bestowed an elusive triple-digit score by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, is his new “Les Crayères” Blanc de Noirs. In my eyes, his precise mastery of 100% Grand Cru Pinot Noir is on full, cinematic 4K display tonight: This legendary bottling transcends what I previously thought was possible in Champagne and is flirting dangerously close with perfection. With Egly’s unrivaled, bordering-on-mythical skills, the epic 2012 vintage leading the charge, and the rarefied raw material of a 70+-year-old Grand Cru vineyard, tonight’s new release reigns as Champagne’s most vinous and jaw-droppingly powerful bottle of Pinot Noir. If Grand Cru Burgundy sparkled, this would be the gold standard. Why all this furor over one bottle? Francis Egly isn’t “arguably” or “one of” the best grower-producers in Champagne; he’s in everyone’s top two or three, end of story. He organically farms to a fanatical degree, harvests at absolute perfect levels of ripeness, barrel vinifies, and ages his wines for an absurd amount of time. As such, Egly stands far apart from the competition, and with each passing year, one can expect intensified acclaim, higher prices, and tighter allocations—his just-released “Crayères” is no exception. Out of the 100 cases that trickled into America, SommSelect managed a tiny fraction. Only thee bottles per person and two gets you complimentary Ground Shipping. 

[NOTE: If this is your first time seeing our Friday night series, welcome. My name is Mark Osburn, writer and sommelier at SommSelect, and you’re likely familiar with the many Champagnes I’ve waxed rhapsodic about for over the years. My goal is simple: to offer you rare Champagne exclusives and/or highly allocated sparkling gems that have to be pried out of an iron grip. These special offers don’t happen every week, but they will always be on a Friday night...stay ever-vigilant.]