Egly-Ouriet Extra Brut Champagne Tradition Grand Cru NV

96 points Tyson Stelzer (The Champagne Guide): "(30% chardonnay, 70% pinot; 80% Ambonnay and the remainder Verzenay and a little Bouzy; at least 50% wild fermented and aged in oak casks). From the very first cuvée, Egly-Ouriet is distinguished for its ability to preserve exacting precision and outstanding chalk mineral focus in the midst of magnificent generosity. This is a vinous wine of calm authority, carrying the full grandeur and complexity of carefully tended, old-vine pinot noir on some of Champagne’s most revered grand crus. Reverberating with the deep spice of pinot noir, this is a cuvée of magnificent complexity that unites deep reserves with long lees age to achieve silky texture and grand complexity of magnificent red and black cherries, succulent peach, fig, fruit mince spice and red plums. It culminates in a finish of seamless harmony, uniting fine chalk mineral texture with long-lingering, silky yet vibrant acidity and heightened salt minerality. At once luscious and creamy, with vanilla custard notes, yet eminently fresh, bright, and oh so long. In line, length and mineral definition this is a cuvée of profound definition and jubilant enticement. Two brilliant Brut Traditions from outstanding seasons. (2020-2021)"

94 points Jeb Dunnuck: "Based on 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, the NV Grand Cru Brut has a killer nose of baked apple, crushed citrus, toasted spice, and brioche. This carries to a richer, layered, powerful Champagne with depth, density, and length. I’d be happy to drink bottles any time over the coming decade. Drink: 2020-2030. (11/24/20)"

93 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The NV Extra-Brut Grand Cru (2017) base is rich, creamy and wonderfully expressive. Dark red plum, spice, coffee, cedar, dried flowers and a kick of toastiness wrap around the palate. The Grand Cru offers notable depth and tons of unbridled class. I would give this a year or two in bottle. It is a stellar NV offering. Dosage is 2 grams per liter. Disgorged: September, 2022. Drink: 2022-2032. (May 2022)"

93 points La Revue du Vin de France: "A smart new way to start tasting! The back label specifies the composition of the champagnes, including the base year... Back in the Montagne de Reims region, Grand Cru (base year 2016) pushes even further an admirably chiseled framework: it is endowed with solid flavors and extremely delicate bubbles. (2023)"

92 points William Kelley (Wine Advocate): "Based on the 2017 vintage, Egly's NV Brut Grand Cru unwinds in the glass with aromas of pear, freshly baked bread, lemon zest, tangerine and praline. Full-bodied, layered and elegantly muscular, with terrific concentration, racy acids and chalky structure, it concludes with a long, gently honeyed finish. Egly has always been enthusiastic about the quality of his Ambonnay fruit in 2017, and this bottling certainly validates his early confidence. Drink: 2023-2037. (8/31/22)"

92 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The new release of Francis Egly’s non-vintage Brut bottling is from the base year of 2017, but with fully half the blend made from reserve wines from the previous two vintages. Ninety percent of the fruit comes from his family’s vineyards in Ambonnay and the balance from their holdings in Bouzy and Verzenay. The cépages is seventy percent pinot noir and thirty percent chardonnay, with the vins clairs barrel-fermented and aged in cask, but not going through malo. Ten percent of the casks are renewed each year. The wine aged fifty-two months sur latte prior to disgorgement in November of 2021 and was finished with a dosage of a single gram. The wine delivers an excellent nose of apple, hazelnut, fresh-baked bread, a complex base of soil, a touch of buttery oak and plenty of smokiness in the upper register. On the palate the wine is brisk, full-bodied and shows off fine depth at the core, with frothy mousse, snappy acids and fine focus and grip on the long and complex finish. Good juice that will be even better with another few years’ worth of bottle age. 2024-2045. (Jul/Aug 2022)"

92 points Wine & Spirits: "The fruit of vines planted in the 1970s in Ambonnay, Verzenay and Bouzy, this wine offers a deep well of fruit with the cool tone of pinot noir (70 percent of the blend), rooty and tight, then lengthening out into a lasting complexity. (Dec 2021)"