As recently as the early 2000s, the idea that a small Champagne grower could compete on quality with the biggest brands in the wine world seemed fanciful. Now, it’s accepted that the Grower Champagne movement is the best thing to happen here since the 17th century, when a monk named Dom Pérignon dusted off his old chemistry set and started trying to make the local table wine more interesting. It’s one of wine’s most important revolutions, and it couldn’t have happened without the first pioneers, not least Egly-Ouriet.
When Francis Egly took over his family Champagne house in the early 1980s, he decided that he would grow his own fruit, bottle his own wines, embrace organic farming, and pursue perfection in the winery. It’s an approach that has since become a standard template for Grower Champagne producers, but back then it was unique.
In the years since, the Egly-Ouriet wines have become inspirational benchmarks, with a famously rich, distinctive style. Their vineyards are mostly in the Grand Cru village of Ambonnay, with some further holdings around Trigny. Most of the wines are dominated by old vine Pinot Noir from exceptional sites. This, together with fermentation in oak and long (sometimes very long) ageing on the lees, gives the wines outstanding depth and complexity.
As new cult domaines have sprung up around them, Egly-Ouriet have remained in the top tier. They are one of the original and best exponents of Champagne as a truly fine, artisanal wine.
