Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Selected from 45-year-old vines, this is a blend of pinot noir (70 percent) and chardonnay fermented in barrel. One-quarter of the barrels were new, and the oak scent is the first thing out of the glass, but then it’s gone, converted into deep, resonant complexities. The highest notes are white flowers, the wine cascading down through layers of fresh red and white fruit and mature, oxidative notes. The flavors are powerful and saturated, yet they come off as effortless and graceful. True grand cru pinot noir.
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Wine Spectator
Like a walk through a Turkish bazaar, this firm and finely cut Champagne is laced with exotic ground spice and incense notes, accented by pure flavors of apricot preserves, pastry cream, cognac and candied kumquat, all set on a fine, satiny mousse. Drink now through 2025.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Disgorged only shortly before I tasted it and with 1-1.5 grams of naturally remaining residual sugar that he expects to supplement before beginning commercial disgorgement, Egly’s 2004 Brut Tradition is mouthwateringly and mysteriously scented with bacon fat and beef marrow, damp forest, sea breeze and chalk dust, which in their manifestations on a polished though firm palate tug at the cheeks and salivary glands even as they stretch the imagination, the barrels in which this wine matured leaving virtually no trace. There is grip and energy galore here, and I imagine that bottles will be worth following for the better part of a decade, if not beyond. We have here, in my view, a classic example of what Ambonnay – perhaps uniquely among Champagne crus – can deliver, namely a carnal dimension normally only found in red Burgundy or Chablis with striking intensity of mineral flavors.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’