Egrot Extra Brut Champagne

Staff Reviews

JC

John Christensen

John Christensen

Egrot's Extra Brut is undoubtedly one of the finest values from Champagne. With top Champagne production in her bones, Elisabeth Goutorbe has delivered us a beautiful Extra Brut, full of verve and finesse. Based on 75% Pinot Noir, the fruit character is perfectly ripe giving off similar notes of a fine Red Burgundy. Surely Extra Brut in style, but with only a 2g/l dosage one would expect this to be an extreme version of Extra Brut, however the ripeness achieved on the vine allows this to be beautifully balanced. All-around, a wonderful Champagne!

PR

Philip Roufail

Philip Roufail

Loaded with ripe Pinot Noir and a rich splash of Chardonnay from the chalky Grand and Premier Cru vineyards around the village of Aÿ, the Egrot Extra Brut Champagne really shows the pedigree of its terroir. To give you an idea about the neighborhood, renown Champagne house Bollinger and its baby, Ayala, make Aÿ their home. On the nose, red fruit aromas of Bing cherry, raspberry, and light toast. On the palate, the low dosage is balanced by ripe apple, stone fruit, zippy acidity, with a lush slightly tart finish. The Extra Brut completes a line of Egrot champagnes that are all easy drinking sparklers that are a tasty addition to any day or celebration.

Notes

Elisabeth Goutorbe and her husband Jean-Marie Egrot run their tiny production Champagne house almost entirely by themselves. They get very little help from their cat Maurice, but can rely on Elisabeth’s father, René Goutorbe of Champagne Henri Goutorbe for a little bit of help. Of the 15 acres they own in Ay, Louvois, Tauxieres and Mutigny, they only keep the fruit from their 2.5 best—mostly in Ay, but also a touch of Louvois Chardonnay for balance. Their home straddles the border of Ay and Mutigny, two great terroirs in the Gand Valley of the Marne, while their production facility is in the heart of Ay. We have been working with them since the launch of their brand, first sold as Champagne Elisabeth Goutorbe, back in 2008. Because of our long relationship as their US importer, we get a good allocation of their wines—even though they only make between 5,000 and 10,000 bottles per year! Their wines are a statement on the terroir of the Grand Valley of the Marne. In each of their offerings you will taste the power of the wines made from steep, south-facing slopes that are right next to the majestic Marne river. Any other spot this chalky would be planted to Chardonnay, but because of the precipitous steepness and dead south exposure, it is ideal for Pinot Noir. The moderating effect of the water on the temperature preserves acid in hot years and helps with ripeness in cold ones. All of the wines have big, dark cherry Pinot power married to crisp, knife-edge chalk drive.