2004 Egly-Ouriet Grand Cru

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. 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