NV Egly-Ouriet Grand Cru V.P
WINEMAKER: Francis Egly
REGION: Champagne, FR
VARIETY: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay
VITICULTURE: Organic/Biodynamic
The V.P stands for Vieillissement Prolongé (prolonged aging), as this wine spends an extended period on lees—in the case of this release, 84 months. Like the Grand Cru Brut, this is a blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, and the fruit again comes from Ambonnay, Bouzy and Verzenay—all Grand Cru terroirs. Vinification and the first aging period are in oak casks; the dosage was only two grams per litre.
Those who have tasted this cuvée in the past know that the power of the fruit, plus the extended lees aging, grants so much harmony, length, complexity and texture. That’s precisely what you get here: a vinous, powerful, super-pure Champagne. Intense and statuesque, yet with so much class. 2015 is clearly a powerful year, bringing depth, while the older vintages bring freshness and finesse. Already impressive, it’s still very young and deserves to be kept for a few more years before being opened.
Francis Egly is a vigneron growing and crafting wines that offer remarkable intensity as well as transparency of site, from vines that are positively ancient by Champagne standards. Like all great French growers, the Egly philosophy can be defined by one word: terroir. Very low yields, old vines, only great sites, perfectly ripe fruit, extended lees aging (the Brut NV can spend up to 48 months on lees) very low or no dosage and no fining and/or filtration are all decisions taken because Egly believes that they allow his terroir to speak most clearly. These practices are identical to the finest growers in Burgundy and the polar opposite of conventional Champagne production.