Disgorged in October 2024, after seven years sur lattes and with a dosage of one gram per liter, Egly's latest NV Grand Cru V.P. is based on the 2016 vintage (50%) with the remainder coming from 2015 and 2014. Opening in the glass with aromas of red apple, honeysuckle and tangerine zest mingling with spices, it is medium- to full-bodied and layered yet racy and fresh, supported by the incisive profile of the base year and concluding with a long, chalky finish. While not a young wine on paper, it certainly feels youthful in the glass, combining freshness with the complexity that comes with such long aging on the lees.

A blend of the 2009, 2010 and 2011 vintages that was bottled in 2012 and disgorged in early 2019, the latest rendition of Egly's NV Extra-Brut Grand Cru V.P. will be released later this year, and it will be well worth seeking out. Unfurling in the glass with notes of crisp yellow orchard fruit, pastry cream and almond paste, the wine is medium to full-bodied, concentrated and precise, with a layered core, impressive structuring dry extract and an elegant, pinpoint mousse, concluding with a long and penetrating finish. Even in the context of an impressive track record, this rendition of the V.P. impressed for its purity and definition.

The NV Extra Brut Vieillissement Prolonge is a late-disgorged wine from the Grand Cru villages of Ambonnay, Bouzy and Verzenay that spent a total of sixty months on its lees. The wine reveals a compelling combination of richness from the prolonged aging, but also shows quite a bit of freshness from its recent disgorgement. Subtle floral, spice and mint nuances play off each other on the beguiling, introspective finish. This bottle was disgorged in July, 2009. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020. Egly-Ouriet is one of the reference-point growers in Champagne, with a deep selection of wines that offer remarkable transparency to site, vintage and variety. The small, bare-bones winery is located in Ambonnay, one of Champagne’s 17 Grand Cru villages, best-known for yielding broad-shouldered, exuberant Pinot Noir-based wines. The house style is defined by first-class fruit, extended lees aging and no fining and/or filtration. These are among the most pure, unmanipulated Champagnes readers will come across, and the estate’s new releases are all highly recommended. Importer: North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 336-9880, Moon Imports, Genova, Italy; +39 010- 313849

The NV Grand Cru V P Extra-Brut (VP stands for Viellissement Prolongé or extended ageing) is an assemblage of approximately 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, and it is not disgorged any earlier than after six years. The youngest cuvée is based on 2008 (60%) and 2006 (40%), and was disgorged in December 2015. Clear, deep and nutty on the nose, this is a rich yet pure and fresh, straight and firmly structured blend that is still very young; it will gain further complexity over the years.The grapes for this cuvée are sourced in the grand crus of Ambonnay, Bouzy and Verzenay.

The non-vintage Grand Cru V.P (Mai 2005) spent 70 months on its yeast (its name stands for Vieillissement Prolonge, or “extended aging”). Creamed toast and yeast are discerned in its thick aromas. A broad, dense, medium to full-bodied Champagne, it displays awesome depth in its lush, plump, and prolonged pear-dominated personality. Egly-Ouriet fashions wines of substantial richness, more suited to those who desire vinosity over vivacity. The estate’s consumer friendly back labels list both the number of months the bottle was kept on its yeasts as well as its disgorgement date. A Peter Vezan Selection, Paris fax #011-33-1-42-55-42-93, importers include North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA; tel. (800) 266-6585; Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. 516-677-9300; and Dionysos Imports, Lorton, VA; tel. (703) 550-7980

Comprised of 60% 2006 and 40% 2005, the Egly “Vieillissement Prolonge” Egly’s NV Extra Brut V.P. Disg. 2/2013 – sourced from Ambonnay, Bouzy and Verzenay – is varietally identical with; very similar in raw materials to; and harbors barely over one gram per sugar less than the blend that was earlier sold as “Tradition,” but this was aged entirely in barrel and then received two more years sur latte. Scents of leather, resin, brown spices and toasted pumpkin seed, rise from the glass against a background of sea breeze and forest floor. This is utterly intriguing stuff, with strong mineral and animal components up front, and diversity worthy of the aforementioned aromas showing off on a firm, tart-edged palate. Here, we’re genuinely into the realm of austerity in the finish, but fortunately bright juiciness and saliva-inducement moderate that impression and guarantee a long finish that sends you back for the next sip. “I think of dosage,” says Egly, referring to the two grams of residual sugar herein, “as being like the pinch of salt that activates the wine’s flavors,” and adds, “I’m therefore not a partisan of absolutely no dosage. The important thing is how the wine tastes.” Amen! I suspect, though, that this will be best enjoyed over the next couple of years. Francis Egly’s expanded, gravity-flow facilities aren’t showy – though any of the huge, new incline presses like his are pretty awesome just from a mechanical standpoint – but they are no doubt permitting him to keep pushing the envelope qualitatively, in recognition of which his prices have entered a relatively rarified sphere. Globally, around 70% of production here spends time in barrel, for which Egly continues to prefer those selected by Burgundy’s Dominique Laurent. As before, very low temperature fermentations and storage permit otherwise unaided clarification and eventually low doses of sulfur. The 2012 components and 2011 blends here tasted impressive from barrel and tank, incidentally, if in rare instances a bit overtly woody. And those of us who would rather know more than less about the wine in our glasses will be happy to realize that in addition to disgorgement dates, the Egly labels now also inform you how long the wine aged before disgorgement. Importer:Peter Vezan Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011 33 1 42 55 42 93