It was right after the second World War that the Egly House was born, when Francis Egly’s Grandfather started in the wine business with 3 hectares of vine in the Grand Cru area of Ambonnay. By buying them and then with a wedding to Madame Ouriet, the descendants Michel and Francis acquired another 9 hectares, among which the wonderful plot of Crayères, where vines are more than 60 years old.

In total, the vineyard, where the vine’s average age is 40 years, covers around 10 hectares on the Grand Cru areas of Ambonnay, Bouzy, and Verzenay, with two thirds of Pinot noir and the rest shared between pinot meunier and Chardonnay. The soil is clay-limestone, like every remarkable vineyard in France, and benefit from a south-south-east exposure. All the work is reasoned farming.

Depending on the harvest’s and the wine’s characteristics, Francis Egly, the current owner, varies the proportion of the barrel’s ages from 1 to 5 years since 1995, in which the wine is going to age in varying proportions, thus letting every terroir express itself, instead of following a steady recipe. There isn’t any malolactic fermentation since 1999, in order to preserve the wine’s freshness and the disgorging dates are mentioned on the back labels.

Contrary to Champagne, who sells its bottles younger and younger, Francis Egly, following his father Michel, builds patiently a treasure that allows him to sell his bruts after four years of ageing, and his vintages after six years. Very low production, around 100.000 bottles depending on the year.