Grapes: 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay

Egly-Ouriet’s “VP” — short for Vieillissement Prolongé, or “extended ageing” — is Champagne as time and texture. Every bottle begins in the family’s chalk-soaked vineyards of Ambonnay, where fruit is farmed for depth rather than yield, and patience defines every step from fermentation to release.

The base wines spend several years on lees before disgorgement, giving a vinous, layered personality that bridges the freshness of Champagne with the resonance of fine white Burgundy. 

The nose opens with red apple skin, toasted hazelnut and chalk dust, wrapped in subtle spice. On the palate, the wine is broad yet precise — ripe orchard fruit carried on a backbone of mineral tension and pinpoint acidity. The finish lingers with saline depth and quiet persistence, reminding you that true complexity is measured in silence and time.

James Suckling: 97 Points