Story
Egly-Ouriet
Ambonnay · Champagne · France
Francis Egly has been making wine at this international well known estate at Ambonnay since 1982. The charismatic grower-producer, has a reputation in the region second only to Anselme Selosse. A phrase of his summarises his vision: "Vines are like horses: if you want to master them well, you have to bring them to life." As a skilled horse-breeder, this formative figure producer owns a vineyard approaching 40 years old, built by his family around remarkable mass selections, originating the rare flavour of his grapes and therefore his champagnes. Of his 12 hectares of vines, 8 hectares are in Ambonnay, with the rest in Bouzy and Verzenay, as well as 2 hectares of meunier in Vrigny.
“He always harvests his grapes when they reach a really high level of ripeness, benefiting from the old vines and the limited yields they produce.”
Following in his father footsteps, Francis patiently builded a treasure that allows him to put his brut at the market after four years of ageing, and his vintage wines beyond six years. Once the wines are bottled, they are aged for a long time on their lees, which he believes contributes to a great potential of further ageing after release.
