Champagne Egly-Ouriet Grand Cru Ambonnay Rouge Cuvée des Grands Côtés Vielles Vignes #2 2012

This is a still red from the Grand Cru village of Ambonnay rather than a Champagne, bottled under the Coteaux Champenois appellation and marked on the label as a second bottling of the 2012.

Still reds are made in Champagne in tiny quantity and only from the warmest, best-exposed sites, since Pinot Noir here ripens at the northern edge of what is possible; Ambonnay, facing south on the Montagne de Reims, is among the few villages with a serious record of them. Egly-Ouriet is a grower estate in the village, run by Francis Egly, the fourth generation, who took charge in 1982 and stopped selling fruit to the négociants. The Cuvée des Grands Côtés comes from a single organically farmed vineyard lying directly below the Les Crayères parcel, south-facing and with more clay than is usual on this slope, planted to vines of more than sixty years. It is fermented on indigenous yeasts and aged 22 months in barrel, about thirty per cent of it new, then hand-bottled straight from the cask without fining or filtration.

Approachable now and worth a decade in a cool cellar. Serve at 16-18°C with roast duck, mushroom risotto or coq au vin.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.