Shay A

9.7

Drinking at the source…Les Avises restaurant at Jacques Selosse. Home for the weekend at Hoteles Avises.

Bucket list wine for me and it lived up to the hype. I love the Selosse champagnes for their oxidative profile and was curious how a rosé would drink made in that same manner…just a hint of sherry in the glass before an absolute tidal wave of flavor and power. Dried apricot, plum, cranberry and orange marmalade out of the gate. There is a sweet/savory roller coaster showing red flowers and shortbread before a pink sea salt and truffle spice arrives. Texturally, it’s commanding but so cerbreal. If you enjoy Egly Ouriet’s rosé, imagine more depth and complexity and you’ve got it. Stunning rosé and the best rosé champagne I’ve had. — 6 months ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.7

April 2018 Disgorgement is absolutely killer right now, with an ultra complex aromatic profile and chiseled palate with riveting energy and a seamlessly balanced expression of layered red berry fruit, blood orange and chalky minerality. VO base with a touch of still Pinot from Francis Egly. The best! — a year ago

Shay A

9.3

My last of the 2014 Ultramarine’s. Sad day. Thankfully 2015s are up next, and I was able to secure extra 2016s during the release a few months back.

This was one of three bubblies (2010 Larmandier-Bernier VV du Levant, Egly Ouriet Rosé) opened alongside a lineup of some fun wines when a buddy, @Shawn R , was in town. As always, my experience with these wines is so unique. You can always tell this is like grower champagne from first smell and sip. Gorgeous golden color in the glass. I normally pick up aromas of cream soda with Ultramarine (aside from their rosé), but didn’t get that here. Caramel dipped golden delicious apples, spiced cider, brioche, a little shaved almond, sporting a gentle “oxidative” flair. On the palate it’s zippy and racy with a distinct herb crusted yellow fruit profile (which I get on some Heintz Chardonnays), alongside more apple, poached pear, and kiss of ripe red Berry fruits. There is also a backbone of limestone/mineral here. When compared to the Larmandier-Bernier, this drank more new world, though if I had tried this blind and not next to a true champagne, I may have been able to get there.

As an aside, we drank half of this bottle (and of the other two bubblies as well) and then put a champagne stopper on it to revisit the next day. Upon opening, the bubbles seemed to have diminish quite a bit and it drank closer to a still wine...and then 30mins later, it was like this roared back to life for one last hurrah, full of bubbles and totally vibrant. Not sure I’ve seen a bubbly do that before. The last glass on the second day was just as good as the first glass on the first day. — 3 years ago

with Shawn

Michael Herzog

9.3

Love this wine. In the same style of Egly-Ouriet and Selosse. Really had some great barrel char going on. Singular but defined. — 5 years ago

with Kuan

Kenta Hayashi

9.2

Fresh, apples, poached pear, yogurt, rather gentle bubbles that gradually dissipates in the mouth. Poured in a Gabriel Glas. Preferred this over the Egly Ouriet NV. — 7 years ago

Toni Zablocki

8.9

Aubrey says "cured meats" on the nose - I say "Nay! Fruit cobbler, maple syrup-drenched french toast, and hotel continental breakfast." But maybe a hint of meat. The palate is soft and flatter than the Egly, but - it's also *much* cheaper. Golden apple textured finish. — 7 years ago

with Aubrey and Tim

Joe Weinberger

9.2

2017 base year. — 7 months ago

Alan Weinberg

9.4

So happy finally to try this. Met high expectations and was so very young. Delicious. — 10 months ago

Riccardo Arrigoni

9.5

15% PN, 70%ch, 15%PM. Base vendemmia 2016. Fermentazione 100%barrique. 0% vins de reserve(millesimato non rivendicato ). 48 mesi sui lieviti, deg luglio 2021. Dosage 3 g/L — 2 years ago

Shay A

9.2

2019 disgorgement. For being 80% Pinot meunier (and 20% Pinot noir) this sure drinks like the percentages are opposite. Whenever I’m drinking Pinot meunier heavy champagnes, I normally find a distinct gummy fruit/fruit snacks note. And while this is no Jerome Prevost La Closerie, it is in that vein of rich and espresso driven. The use of perpetual reserve (dating back to 2003) certainly helps with the richness and beautiful golden color. Golden raspberries, creamy espresso and cranberry scone aromatics. Great mousse with caramel dipped Granny Smith apple and chalky limestone highlight the palate with the kiss of nougat showing at the finish.

It’s not often a meunier champagne has me intrigued, and up until recently, that short list contained Jerome Prevosts’ La Closerie, Egly-Ouriet’s Les Vignes de Vrigny and Laherte Freres’ offerings, but this Mousse Fils L’Or d’Eugene is undoubtedly in that company, especially at its price (cheaper than the others). — 2 years ago

Mike Obley

9.4

Purchased on the recommendation of North Berkeley Wine where I source Egly-Ouriet — 4 years ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.1

NV / vibrant, very nice champagne to accompany food. Lively acidity, refreshing. We paired it with sushi as a starter. — 5 years ago

Matt

9.3

Wow, just gorgeous for the price. Generous, balanced, layered. Intelligent use of wood here, adds a subtle richness and intrigue. Asian pear, melon, citrus, cherry blossoms, wet chalk, hazelnut, cured meat, sea spray, brioche, cream. Noticeable autolysis character. Nice weight and concentration for entry NV, reminiscent of Ouriet, and there’s an influence from Krug that’s apparent to me. 50 PN 50 CH (1..17-08?) 11/2016 disgorgement — 6 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.5

Exceptional balance. Rich, but so fresh. Pears, orange, flowers, lemon curd, cream, brioche, nut. Long, powerful palate, underlined by a driving acidity.

Some thoughts: In my eyes, RMs tend to fall into "extreme" categories e.g. Laherte - austere, Egly - rich (lees), Agrapart - rich (oak), Selosse - oxidative; but this wine doesn't fit here. NM-like, but not (I think of Chartogne-Taillet when I say this). Compare to Krug's Grand Cuvee, the Grands Vintages is definitely richer and broader (fair comparison, given how both wines are constructed).

From Chain Bridge Cellars:
As the name suggests, Eric Rodez’s Grand Vintages is a rich, powerful and very much “grand” wine in the tradition of Krug (where Eric learned his craft). This year's release is a blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay from seven great vintages going back to vintage 2000. Eric ages all of these base wines in used oak and blocks malolactic fermentation to maximize freshness and vibrancy. Then the carefully crafted blend spends 8 full years on the lees before being disgorged this October. The dosage is ultra-low - 2 or 3 g/l - so this could be labeled "Extra Brut," but there's so much richness and depth here that "Brut" seems more appropriate to Eric.

Past releases have earned plenty of critical praise, including 17.5/20 points from Jancis Robinson, 93 from Vinous, and 92 from Wine Advocate. This year’s release is explosive on the nose and palate, pumping out big notes of lemon curd, caramel, toasted nuts, baking bread, crushed chalk, and more. The flavors just balloon out to fill your entire palate and finish with layer upon layer of mouthwatering pie crust, lemon curd, hazelnut, crushed stone and salty caramel flavor. Try holding some for even more richness! — 7 years ago

Andrew Schirmer

9.7

Fabulous aromatics of ripening apples. Palate is intense and long. Ferrous, slightly oxidative. Massive palate. Give it some time to allow the middle to come together. A real brick shithouse of a champagne. Base 2013 / disgorged July 2021. — 7 months ago

with Alsu

Shay A

9.4

@Delectable Wine: This is the Sans Soufre Syrah. I didn’t see it in the database.

What a crazy wine. I had the pleasure of meeting Travis (a second time) in Seattle while I was traveling, and popped an Egly Ouriet Les Crayeres while we talked all things Kobayashi. He told me this 2020 was drinking great, so I had to see for myself.

Sans Soufre. Travis recommended an hour decant. He was spot on. After an hour, this came alive! So perfumed. Intoxicating aromatics. Deeply floral and bright fruit all over. Blue fruit, spiced pepper. Great weight to it. Very “pure”. It straddles Barossa Valley’s SamiOdi with the aromatics (rich and decadent black/blue/purple fruits) and channels more Cornas type of a vibe with its charcoal/savory mid palate. Has that distinct incense flavor that his Mizunara barrels impart, but I don’t think this wine touched those barrels.

Drank half from the decanter over two hours, then I corked it and had the second half the following day and it held strong/just as enjoyable. — a year ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Very different with this kind of age. Super soft micro-oxidation. This is well aged. Dry; apricots, yellow peach, marmalade, dry pineapple, blood orange, tangerine, malt, wheat, sun tea, aspects of fruit brandy/port, yeasty, bread dough, beautiful, powdery chalkiness, oyster shells, crumbled alluvials, withering yellow &,white lilies, beautiful round acidity, rich mello, smooth, polished finish.

Very different side of N/V bubbles.

Degorgement, April 1997. — 3 years ago

Daniel Layfield

9.5

Fantastic - incredible fruit, less pressure / not quite as effervescent (creates ability for very robust taste, per Lolly), 100% Pinot noir, best vineyard area, “once you have Egly it ruins other champagne”. — 4 years ago

with Liza

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.5

Reminds me of Egly. Seriously epic wine and out of magnum! — 5 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

My first 1911 and it will not be the last. 100% Pinot Noir. Pale Gold with a fine persistent bead. A powerful concentrated Champagne straight out of the Wine Fridge at 12 degrees Celsius. Notes of burnt orange and mineral and the palate has an oxidative solera type quality. Interestingly the next day coming out of the regular fridge and being a bit colder green apple notes were more pronounced. I love Blanc de Noirs after the Egly Ouriet blew me away earlier in the year. Ridiculously Good QPR for a wine of this quality with a production of only 1911 bottles. — 7 years ago