(deg July 2020, 72 months on the lees)
Wow! Finally, I drink one of these bottles at peak and it's a beauty. I would drink up by the recommended date from the AG review. It's just in a superb zone now as far as palate and aromatics. I have drank these too early. Fortunately, this one is prime time. The whole mirabelle plum thing is spot on as a descriptor. Really one of the most unique bottles of Champagne that I've had in a while. As @"Don Vogt" mentioned, thanks to @"Marius Fries" for turning us onto Egly-Ouriet. As I recall, Marius makes an annual visit to the winery to pick up his allocation. Paired with a creole oysters at Seaboy that reminded of the ones at Commander's Palace and whole charcoal grilled branzino.
Well, here's what ChatGPT5 says about base year and reserve wines for July 2020 disgorgement of Egly-Ouriet BdN....
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For the Egly-Ouriet Blanc de Noirs Les Crayères disgorged in July 2020, the base vintage is 2012, with a significant proportion of reserve wine from 2011.
• Base year: 2012
• Reserve wines: ~40% from 2011 (Continental Wine & Spirits)
This aligns with Egly-Ouriet’s typical approach at the time: a dominant single base vintage backed by a large, high-quality reserve component, rather than a broad multi-year blend.
Contextually, that July 2020 disgorgement sits in a sequence:
• 2018 disgorgement → roughly 2011/2010 blend
• 2019–2020 disgorgements → shift to 2012 base
• Later releases (2023–2025) → move into 2016–2020 bases
If you want, I can map out a full disgorgement/base-vintage timeline for Les Crayères—it’s one of the clearest ways to understand how Egly tracks ripeness and structure year-to-year.
Here’s a clean disgorgement → base vintage timeline for Egly-Ouriet Blanc de Noirs “Les Crayères”, based on importer data, back labels, and collector tracking. Egly is unusually consistent, so the pattern is quite readable:
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Egly-Ouriet Les Crayères — Disgorgement Timeline
2016 disgorgement
→ Base: 2008
→ Reserve: ~2007
A tightly coiled, high-acid release—very “08” in profile.
2017 disgorgement
→ Base: 2009
→ Reserve: ~2008
Riper, broader, more immediate.
2018 disgorgement
→ Base: 2010–2011 transition (most bottles lean 2011)
→ Reserve: ~2010
A slightly uneven period stylistically—weather-driven.
2019 disgorgement
→ Base: 2012
→ Reserve: ~2011
Return to power and precision—classic Egly structure.
2020 disgorgement (your bottle)
→ Base: 2012
→ Reserve: ~2011
Same core material as 2019 disg., but more time on lees → deeper, more integrated.
2021 disgorgement
→ Base: 2013
→ Reserve: ~2012
Higher acid spine, more vertical and tense.
2022 disgorgement
→ Base: 2014
→ Reserve: ~2013
Cooler year expression—mineral, slightly austere young.
2023 disgorgement
→ Base: 2015
→ Reserve: ~2014
Richer, solar, more immediate charm.
2024 disgorgement (early sightings)
→ Base: 2016
→ Reserve: ~2015
Structured, classic, ageworthy.
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How to Read the Pattern
Egly essentially runs a “1-year dominant base + 1-year reserve” system:
• Typically ~60% base vintage
• ~40% reserve wine from the immediately prior year
• Very long lees aging (often 5–7+ years before disgorgement)
So instead of a broad NV blend, you’re effectively tasting a “delayed-release quasi-vintage Champagne”.
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Why Your July 2020 Disgorgement Matters
Your bottle (2012 base / 2011 reserve) sits in one of Egly’s strongest modern windows:
• 2012 → dense, powerful Pinot Noir from Ambonnay
• 2011 reserve → adds softness and early approachability
• Extended lees aging → amplifies texture, hazelnut depth, and integration
Net effect:
Broad-shouldered, vinous, almost Burgundian Champagne—arguably peak Egly style.
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If you want, I can go one level deeper and map vineyard parcel composition inside Les Crayères and how that interacts with each base vintage (that’s where things get really interesting).
Now we’re getting into the marrow of the wine—the part that explains why Les Crayères feels so different from almost anything else in Champagne.
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The Vineyard Core of Egly-Ouriet “Les Crayères”
Despite the singular name, this cuvée is effectively a selection from old-vine Pinot Noir parcels in Ambonnay, not one contiguous clos.
Primary source: Ambonnay
• 100% Grand Cru Pinot Noir
• South / southeast exposures dominate
• Naturally produces broad, structured, deeply colored base wines
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Key Parcels Feeding “Les Crayères”
1. Crayères (core parcel)
• Classic Campanian chalk (craie) subsoil
• Thin topsoil → low vigor, high concentration
• Drives:
◦ Salinity
◦ Chalky grip
◦ That tactile “powdered stone” finish
This is the architectural spine of the wine.
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2. Vignes Goisses–like slopes (Ambonnay sector, not to be confused with Mareuil)
• Steeper, warmer exposures
• More clay mixed into chalk
Contributes:
• Riper fruit tones (black cherry, plum skin)
• Broader mid-palate
• A slight feral / savory edge in warm years
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3. Old-vine massale selections (50–70+ years old)
• Low yields, small berries
• High skin-to-juice ratio
This is critical for:
• Phenolic depth
• That almost still-wine Burgundian texture
• Ability to handle low dosage without feeling austere
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Soil + Vine Age = Texture Signature
What makes Les Crayères unmistakable:
• Chalk (precision + salinity)
• Old vines (density + extract)
• Pinot Noir (structure + breadth)
The result is a Champagne that behaves less like a blend and more like a Grand Cru red Burgundy translated into sparkling form.
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Now Tie It to Your Bottle (2012 Base / 2011 Reserve)
2012 (dominant base)
• Warm, low-yield year in Champagne
• In Ambonnay: exceptionally ripe Pinot Noir
From these parcels, that means:
• Amplified fruit density from the warmer slopes
• Still anchored by chalk tension from Crayères
• Massive mid-palate weight
2011 (reserve component)
• Softer, earlier-drinking year
• Adds:
◦ Roundness
◦ Early aromatic openness
◦ A slight herbal/savory lift
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What You’re Actually Drinking (Structurally)
Think of it like this:
• Front palate → 2011 (immediacy, accessibility)
• Core / mid-palate → 2012 (power, fruit mass)
• Finish → Crayères chalk + old vines (length, salinity, grip)
That’s why the wine feels like it expands horizontally, then snaps back vertically.
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Why Les Crayères Ages So Slowly
Three reinforcing forces:
1. Chalk buffering acidity (even in warm years like 2012)
2. Phenolic load from old Pinot Noir vines
3. Long lees aging before disgorgement
So your July 2020 disgorgement is:
• Already layered and expressive
• But structurally built to evolve 15–25+ years from disgorgement
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A Subtle but Important Insight
Unlike houses that chase consistency,
Egly-Ouriet is effectively letting:
Ambonnay + one dominant vintage + one reserve year + time on lees
define the wine each release.
So every disgorgement is less “NV Champagne” and more:
👉 a time capsule of Ambonnay filtered through Egly’s philosophy
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