Les Prémices hails from 3.5 hectares of vines in Trigny, northwest of Reims. To use some great growers to geolocate; Trigny is situated just to the west of Saint-Thierry and Merfy (where Alexandre Chartogne is based), and east of Montigny-sur-Vesle (where Aurélien Suenen grows his super La Grande Vigne cuvée). The Egly vines span seven historic lieux-dits in the commune. Like the domaine’s Vrigny vines, these plots have come from Annick Egly’s (wife of Francis) side of the family. The return of Francis and Annick’s two children, Charles and Clémence, to the domaine has enabled the family to begin producing their own wines from these plots (previously, the fruit was being sold). This is just the second release. 

Reflecting what is planted in the vineyards, Les Prémices is an equal blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier. The vines are, on average, 40 years old and are rooted in clay and sandstone over a chalk bedrock—a soil typical of the Massif de Saint-Thierry area. As always, the classic Egly manifesto applies here—old vines, low yields, hand harvesting of fully ripe fruit, no inoculation, long lees aging, no fining or filtration, low dosage and meticulous attention to detail. One difference here is that the wine is fermented and aged exclusively in tank. 

The current release is the first blend to include three vintages, and the wine is even better for it. The dosage for this release was just one gram per litre. We were very impressed with the last release, but this is significantly next level. It’s a super mineral, pure-fruited wine with more depth and complexity than the previous release, yet with the same incredible precision and a long, perfumed, salty close. It's very hard to drink slowly!   

Vintages: 2018 (60%), 2017 (20%), 2016 (20%)

Bottling: 2019

Disgorgement: July 2023

Time on lees: 48 months

This is the third release of Egly’s sole Chardonnay dominant cuvée and it’s the first release to include three vintages in the blend. The wine is drawn from a plot of vines on the south-facing slopes of Bisseuil, a village just to the east of the famous Grand Cru communes of Aÿ and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. While these two latter villages are renowned for Pinot Noir, Bisseuil is more known for Chardonnay; it’s the only village in the area that has more Chardonnay than Pinot Noir in its vineyards. The blend here is 70% Chardonnay with 15% Pinot Noir and 15% Meunier. The Egly Bisseuil vines cover 1.5 hectares and span two lieux-dits. They have now been farmed by the Egly family for more than seven years—Francis and Annick Egly purchased these vines in anticipation of their children Clémence and Charles joining the domaine. The vine age averages 40 years. Les Vignes de Bisseuil was vinified entirely in barrel and spent four years in the cellar prior to disgorgement with two grams per litre dosage. 

This is a fascinating contrast to the rest of the range. As you might expect, it has a much more ‘Chardonnay’ personality with waves of orchard fruit, white flowers, fresh butter and even almond-oil notes. Although these elements suggest richness, the wine is, in fact, bright and full of energy with a powdery, pithy close. It has all the vinosity, texture and thrilling tension for which this great grower is renowned. With the outstanding 2018 vintage forming 60% of the cuvée, this is far and away the finest Les Vignes de Bisseuil released to date. 

Vintages: 2019 (50%), 2018 (30%), 2017 (20%)

Bottling: 2020

Disgorgement: July 2023

Time on lees: 36 months

As always, this is 100% Meunier from a single 40-year-old, south-facing vineyard in Vrigny, a commune located on the Petite Montagne de Reims, next to Gueux, where Jérôme Prévost is based. Straight Meunier remains a relative rarity in Champagne; in Egly’s hands, it is something truly unique. Low yields, old vines and ripe fruit make this one of the most intense, layered and opulent Meunier wines kicking around. Bottled without filtration, the dosage for this bottling was a tiny two grams per litre. Taking in three great vintages for this grower, this is at least equal to last year’s wine (itself the best young Vignes de Vrigny we have tasted). This is layered, fleshy and spicy; remarkably hedonistic for Meunier yet also with wonderful brightness and saline freshness. It’s an exceptional rendition of this cuvée as you would expect from the vintages involved. 

Les Prémices hails from 3.5 hectares of vines in Trigny, northwest of Reims. To use some great growers to geolocate; Trigny is situated just to the west of Saint-Thierry and Merfy (where Alexandre Chartogne is based), and east of Montigny-sur-Vesle (where Aurélien Suenen grows his super La Grande Vigne cuvée). The Egly vines span seven historic lieux-dits in the commune. Like the domaine’s Vrigny vines, these plots have come from Annick Egly’s (wife of Francis) side of the family. The return of Francis and Annick’s two children, Charles and Clémence, to the domaine has enabled the family to begin producing their own wines from these plots (previously, the fruit was being sold). This is just the second release.

Reflecting what is planted in the vineyards, Les Prémices is an equal blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier. The vines are, on average, 40 years old and are rooted in clay and sandstone over a chalk bedrock—a soil typical of the Massif de Saint-Thierry area. As always, the classic Egly manifesto applies here—old vines, low yields, hand harvesting of fully ripe fruit, no inoculation, long lees aging, no fining or filtration, low dosage and meticulous attention to detail. One difference here is that the wine is fermented and aged exclusively in tank.

The current release is the first blend to include three vintages, and the wine is even better for it. The dosage for this release was just one gram per litre. We were very impressed with the last release, but this is significantly next level. It’s a super mineral, pure-fruited wine with more depth and complexity than the previous release, yet with the same incredible precision and a long, perfumed, salty close. It's very hard to drink slowly!

Vintages: 2016 (50%), 2015 (50%)

Bottling: 2017

Disgorgement: July 2023

Time on lees: 72 months

In some ways, this is the emblematic wine of the domaine. It was Michel Bettane, the influential French critic, who encouraged Francis Egly to bottle this single vineyard wine separately, with the first release being from the 1989 vintage. This latest offering was bottled after the 2016 base had spent close to one year in cask before being blended with 50% reserve wines from the 2015 vintage. All the vinification and aging for both vintages was in barrel.

The fruit comes from old Pinot Noir vines in a single terroir known as Les Crayères. The vines here were planted in 1946, so are now 75 years old (vines of this age are extremely rare in Champagne). Here the soil is barely 30cm deep, then it’s chalk, hundreds of metres down—hence the name of the site (craie is French for ‘chalk’, crayères references chalk quarries which likely once existed here). Les Crayères is situated mid-slope with a full south-facing exposure, not far from the estate’s cellars. The old vines are deeply rooted, giving the wine a classic, mineral energy that weaves its way through the powerful, layered Pinot Noir fruit. The deep concentration is a product of the ripeness and low yields that both the site and its ancient vines naturally deliver.

The 2016 base is both a tribute to the greatest sites of Ambonnay and to the Egly-Ouriet domaine. Houses that emphasise blending may consider a 100% old-vine Ambonnay like this to be too intense; Egly gives it to you full throttle! This release is a wine of profound depth yet also great finesse. It’s still early days for the nose (if you open it now, give it time) while the palate is already stunning; a chiselled, mineral mouth bomb. The dosage is only two grams per litre and it’s invisible. An expression of a singular terroir, this is, of course, a unique wine that is, as always, built for food and for aging.

Bottling: 2015

Disgorgement: July 2023

Time on lees: 96 months

This is 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay from 40-year-old vines in Ambonnay. The wine was aged completely in barrel and there was only one gram per litre dosage. It is a seductive, layered, powerful expression of Ambonnay and, as with the Blanc de Noirs, represents one of the very finest wines of Champagne. Far from falling in the shadow of his spectacular 2012 and 2013 releases, the 2014 is very much their equal. Francis Egly told us that he believes it’s one of the finest Millésime wines he has produced.  The summer was cool, and then from mid-August through early September, he had ideal ripening conditions and the family harvested exceptional fruit. 

The result is a strikingly beautiful wine with floral notes, great energy and tremendous finesse. In a word, breathtaking. Yes, it is now getting up there in price, but we also need to consider not only the otherworldly quality but also the length of time these wines are being held in the cellar. They are essays in perfection and when compared to the prices of wines like Clos d’Ambonnay or many a Grand Cru Burgundy released two years after harvest, the price starts to look quite different.

Vintages: 2015 (50%), 2014 (30%), 2013 (20%)

Bottling:  2016

Disgorgement: July 2023

Time on lees: 84 months

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.

Ratafia de Champagne is a liqueur aperitif, made with the juice of freshly picked Champagne grapes fortified immediately after pressing (to prevent fermentation commencing). This fortification comes via grape spirit distilled from Champagne grape skins. It’s a style of wine that belongs to the same family as Cognac’s Pineau des Charentes. 

Having said all of that, as with anything that is bottled by this great grower, the Egly Ratafia is not your average example of the genre. Apart from the renowned work in the vineyard, Egly uses only perfectly ripe, 100% Grand Cru, estate-grown and sorted Pinot Noir fruit—while most producers of Ratafia use their weakest grapes and wines. This is also from a single vintage, in this case, 2018. The fruit was sorted and pressed gently and the finest of grape spirit or marc (distilled from Egly’s own fruit of course) was added. It then spent four years mellowing in barrel. 

As we have come to expect, this perfectionist grower refuses to aim for anything less than greatness, no matter what he is making. As a result, this is a stunningly pure and intense expression of Ratafia that can be drunk on its own, over ice, with soda, or used to make a wonderful version of kir. It also stays fresh in the fridge for months. Bottled in 2023.