Egly-Ouriet Ambonnay Coteaux Champenois Grand Cru 2022

Egly-Ouriet Ambonnay Coteaux Champenois Grand Cru 2022 is one of the most sought-after still red wines from Champagne, showcasing Pinot Noir in its purest, un-sparkling form. Made from old-vine Grand Cru fruit in Ambonnay, this is a rare and limited bottling that speaks more to great Burgundy than to what most people expect from Champagne. It’s a wine for collectors and serious Pinot Noir lovers who want to experience the terroir that usually ends up in top grower Champagnes, here expressed as an ultra-refined, still red. The unique selling point of this wine is its origin: Grand Cru Pinot Noir from Ambonnay, crafted by one of Champagne’s most revered grower-producers, and vinified as a Coteaux Champenois rather than a sparkling wine. Low yields, meticulous vineyard work and traditional élevage result in exceptional concentration, energy and finesse. Historically, still wines from Champagne pre-date the region’s fame for sparkling, and cuvées like this pay homage to that heritage while setting a modern benchmark for quality Coteaux Champenois.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, the 2022 Ambonnay Coteaux Champenois Grand Cru shows a luminous, deep ruby color with translucent edges, hinting at both concentration and finesse. Swirled, it clings to the glass with fine, slow-moving legs, a sign of ripeness and extract in this warm vintage. The nose is precise and layered: wild red cherries, raspberries and crushed strawberries intertwine with notes of blood orange zest, rose petals and violets. Subtle yet complex savory nuances of graphite, black tea, dried herbs and a whisper of forest floor emerge with air, alongside delicate oak tones—think fine spice, light vanilla bean and a touch of smoke—integrated rather than dominant. On the palate, the wine is taut yet sensual, with a silken texture wrapped around a core of vibrant, red-fruited acidity. Flavors of sour cherry, redcurrant and raspberry coulis are framed by chalky, mineral drive that is very much Ambonnay: firm, linear and saline. Fine-grained tannins give the wine structure without heaviness, and the finish is long, focused and mouthwatering, with lingering notes of crushed stone, spice and fresh red berries. The 2022 vintage delivers generous fruit, but Egly-Ouriet’s hallmark tension and precision keep everything beautifully in balance. This wine has serious aging potential for a still Champagne Pinot Noir. While already approachable in its youth with a bit of aeration, it will gain in complexity, aromatic depth and textural harmony over 8–15 years in a good cellar, evolving toward more floral, truffley and sous-bois nuances while maintaining its mineral backbone.

Production
This Coteaux Champenois comes from carefully selected Pinot Noir parcels in Ambonnay, one of Champagne’s most prestigious Grand Cru villages on the Montagne de Reims. The terroir is dominated by chalk-rich soils with thin topsoil layers, providing excellent drainage and imparting the signature mineral tension and salinity that define both the village’s top Champagnes and its rare still reds. The slopes are well-exposed, allowing full phenolic ripeness even in cooler years, and in a warm vintage like 2022, Egly-Ouriet’s strict yield control and meticulous canopy management ensure balance rather than excess. Grapes are harvested by hand at optimal ripeness, with rigorous sorting to retain only perfectly healthy, concentrated fruit. Vinification follows a traditional, low-intervention philosophy: fermentation in oak with indigenous yeasts, careful extraction to preserve finesse over power, and aging in barrel (often including a proportion of used barriques) to add texture and complexity without overwhelming the terroir expression. Minimal fining and filtration, if any, help maintain purity and depth, while bottling is done with a clear focus on preserving the wine’s energy and precision.

Food & Serving
This refined, mineral-driven Pinot Noir is an excellent partner for elegant, terroir-focused cuisine. Pair it with roasted or herb-crusted lamb, duck breast with cherries or redcurrants, veal chops, or game birds such as pigeon or quail. It also shines with refined charcuterie, mushroom-based dishes, truffle risotto, and earthy preparations featuring root vegetables or lentils. Lighter, washed-rind cheeses or semi-soft styles like Reblochon or Chaource can also work beautifully, especially when served at the end of the meal. Serve at 14–16°C (57–61°F) to highlight its aromatic complexity and freshness. Young bottles benefit from 45–60 minutes in a decanter to open up the nose and soften the tannins; older vintages can be gently double-decanted shortly before serving to preserve their more delicate tertiary notes.

Producer
Egly-Ouriet, led by Francis Egly, is one of Champagne’s benchmark grower-producers and a revered name among wine enthusiasts worldwide. Based in Ambonnay, the domaine has earned cult status for its intensely terroir-driven, low-dosage Champagnes and for a philosophy that treats Champagne as seriously as great still wine—low yields, old vines, meticulous vineyard work and extended élevage. The estate’s holdings are heavily concentrated in Grand Cru villages such as Ambonnay, Bouzy and Verzenay, with a significant proportion of old-vine Pinot Noir on prime, chalky slopes. Over the last few decades, Egly-Ouriet has been instrumental in redefining the image of grower Champagne, proving that small, quality-focused domaines can rival or surpass the grandes marques. Their still Coteaux Champenois bottlings are produced in tiny quantities and are highly coveted, offering a rare, insider’s look at the raw material that underpins some of Champagne’s most acclaimed wines.

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