2016 Egly-Ouriet Grand Cru Millesime, Champagne

Bottling: 2017

Disgorgement: July 2025

Time on lees: 96 months

This is 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay from 40-year-old vines in Ambonnay. The Egly family select the grapes for this wine at harvest and raise the wine completely in barrel. There was only 1 g/L dosage. It is a seductive, layered, powerful expression of Ambonnay, and, as with the Blanc de Noirs, it undoubtedly represents one of Champagne’s greatest wines.

Crafted from low yields, it’s a breathtaking release (“Montrachet with bubbles” is how Francis Egly described it to us). This stands up to Egly’s finest years. Yes, it is now up there in price, but we also need to consider not only the otherworldly quality but the length of time these wines are being held in the cellar. This wine is an essay in perfection, and when compared to the prices of wines like Clos d’Ambonnay or many a Grand Cru Burgundy released two years after the harvest, the price starts to take on more context.

Château Egly-Ouriet Grand Cru Millésime 2016 is a commanding and beautifully sculpted vintage release that captures the heart of Ambonnay’s grand cru Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in a year that delivered both power and luminous freshness. Francis Egly selects only the very finest parcels for his vintage bottling, fermenting naturally in barrel and then leaving the wine to mature for an exceptionally long period on its lees before disgorgement. The soils here are deep chalk, and that mineral core resonates through every layer of this cuvée. This is a Champagne built with the structure of a great still wine, yet carried by the finesse and purity of the vintage.

Aromas are intense yet incredibly refined. Golden apple, lemon curd and white peach lead into deeper tones of hazelnut, nougat and freshly baked brioche from the long lees ageing. Notes of chalk dust, wet stone and a whisper of flint speak clearly of Ambonnay’s terroir. With air, saffron, toasted almond, dried citrus peel and hints of honeyed orchard fruit add further dimension while remaining beautifully restrained.

The palate is concentrated and driven. Silky bubbles carry layers of citrus, peach skin, pear and almond cream across a powerful spine of chalky structure and crystalline acidity. Subtle spice, pastry and saline mineral lift unfold slowly, building into a long, commanding finish that feels both luxurious and vibrantly alive. As with all Egly-Ouriet vintages, the tannic whisper of Pinot Noir adds shape and longevity without heaviness. It will age effortlessly over the next 10 to 20 years, gathering deeper savoury richness and even more profound complexity.

A stunning companion for lobster, scallops, butter roasted chicken, truffled dishes or aged Comté. It’s a wine that sits confidently among the greatest vintage Champagnes: serious, textural and utterly captivating.