Egly-Ouriet is rated as one of Champagne’s top producers, sitting comfortably alongside world-famous Krug, Bollinger, and others. Under the careful stewardship of Francis Egly, a fourth-generation family winemaker, it has become a highly sought-after cult Champagne, and for good reason. Francis has been at the very forefront of the ‘grower Champagne’ movement, leading the charge long before it was popular.

The family farms old-vine vineyards in the Grand Cru village of Ambonnay – home to some of the greatest Pinot Noir in France. When Francis took over from his father Michel in 1980, his focus was to make Pinot Noir dominant Champagnes with impeccable quality.

He began with the soil. Only a handful of growers in Champagne follow biodynamic, organic or 'living soil' principals; forgoing chemical fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides or other chemicals, and Francis was one of the first. The estate was also one of the very few growers who always refused to use gadoux (ground city rubbish) as fertiliser on their vineyards.

Francis also works to very low yields, produces vineyard specific wines, and minimises the use of sugar. In the cellar, Francis uses the gentlest possible extraction, of which he only keeps the purest first pressing. It is no secret that he takes his inspiration from Burgundy, bottling at lower atmospheres so the bubbles do not obscure the outstanding quality of his base wine. All of these elements combine to make Egly-Ouriet one of the best Champagne producers in the world.