Egly-Ouriet Champagne Extra Brut Grand Cru NV 750ml

Although this appears as the ‘house’ non-vintage, in character it is more akin to a vintage wine that needs some time on cork. Tasted young, the saturated fruit – apricot, spiced apples, grilled lemons – is already expressive, yet not fully unsprung. Based on 2018 with 40% reserves back to 2016, the heat of 2018 is in the fruit profile rather than weight or grip, and is more about persistence than pure power, underlined by the oak élevage yet not coloured by it. 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay from Ambonnay, Bouzy and Verzenay. 100% barrel fermentation.

• Country: France
• Region: Champagne
• Size: 750ml

Varietal

Champagne Blend

The sparkling wines of Champagne have been revered by wine drinkers for hundreds of years, and even today they maintain their reputation for excellence of flavor and character, and are consistently associated with quality, decadence, and a cause for celebration. Their unique characteristics are partly due to the careful blending of a small number of selected grape varietals, most commonly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These grapes, blended in fairly equal quantities, give the wines of Champagne their wonderful flavors and aromas, with the Pinot Noir offering length and backbone, and the Chardonnay varietal giving its acidity and dry, biscuity nature. It isn’t unusual to sometimes see Champagne labeled as ‘blanc de blanc’, meaning it is made using only Chardonnay varietal grapes, or ‘blanc de noir’, which is made solely with Pinot Noir.