Egly-Ouriet 'Les Premices' Champagne

ABOUT THE WINE: Les Prémices hails from 3.5 hectares of vines in Trigny, northwest of Reims. Reflecting what is planted in the vineyards, Les Prémices is an equal blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier. On average, the vines are 40 years old and 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 ferments and ages exclusively in tank. The dosage for this release was just 1 g/L. Vintages: 2020 (50%), 2019 (30%), 2018 (20%). Bottling: 2021. Disgorgement: July 2024. Time on lees: 36 months. Bibendum

ABOUT THE PRODUCER: Francis Egly is one of Champagne's most iconic cult figures. Alongside Selosse and Larmandier-Bernier, his wines are considered some of the very top expressions of small-scale Champagne. They are some of only a handful of growers who follow biodynamic, organic or 'living soil' principals of viticulture. These three producers do not use chemical fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides or chemical anti-fungal sprays; they work on very low yields (roughly half the regional average); produce vineyard or village specific wines; minimise the use of sugar addition and follow a very natural winemaking regime with no fining or filtration and low levels of sulphur. Egly has been a longtime advocate of oak barrels, purchased from his friend Dominique Laurent in Burgundy, and today he works with about 200 barriques, enough to handle roughly half of his production. Egly credits vinification in wood with not only providing more structure and more aging potential, but also bringing out more of the character of the terroir. Noted for his rich, intense, Pinot Noir dominant style, these are remarkable, cellar-worthy wines that paint a unique picture of Champagne and have helped redefine the region. Egly-Ouriet's holdings are in Ambonnay, with vineyards also in Bouzy, Verzenay and Trigny.