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By: Alex Schroeder | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 9/18/2023 | Send Email
Champagne Egrot (prounounced Eh-grow) falls in the same company as Bonville and Launois in terms of value for money. 80% Grand Cru Pinot Noir from Ay, 20% Premier Cru Chardonnay from the Premier Cru of Louvois, aged on the lees well over half a decade. For under $35. Proprietors Elisabeth (Henri Goutorbe’s granddaughter) and Jean-Marie Egrot have a long history in Champagne, and the pedigree shows in the bottle. Precision, richness, freshness, depth, and length are all on full display. A subtle toast quality perfectly underlines rich pear, Bing cherry and apple notes, with vibrant minerals and crisp acidity. Champagne enthusiasts rejoice!
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By: Chelsea Herholdt | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 9/14/2023 | Send Email
This gorgeous bottle shares land with some top notch Pinot Noir based Champagne producers, and it sure shows. Strawberry preserves on the nose and a more structured and powerful and mineral driven palate are here, all coming together in a wonderfully classic feeling Champagne. The choice by Elizabeth Goutorbe to use all stainless steel gives you a beautiful peek into the Aÿ terroir. This is a "must have wine in my opinion, and would be fun to put side by side with a leaner style of Blanc de Blancs.
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By: Scott Beckerley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 1/13/2023 | Send Email
As always with Elisabeth's champagnes, this one is another winner with high quality and an extremely affordable price. Medium to full-bodied with black cherry and roasted nut flavors. Elisabeth's bubblies always finish clean, with fresh minerality and this bottling is no exception. She is quite unique in this, being a Pinot dominant house. Something for everybody!
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By: Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/26/2021 | Send Email
A wonderful dry and elegant Champagne that is refreshing, lively and full bodied. It has nice balance and complexity with just the right amount of mineral flavors, fruit and acidity. It will be pleasurable alone or with lighter foods.
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By: Neal Fischer | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/15/2021 | Send Email
The Egrot Brut is complex far beyond its price point. This pinot-dominant Champagne is flinty with a touch of smoke with great fruit aromas coming through such as peach, cherry, and dried apricot. Flavors of mixed berries and orchard fruits swim around each other with a little yeastiness to make things even more interesting. The finish goes on forever, further displaying the depth of this wine.
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By: Gary Westby | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/13/2021 | Send Email
Elisabeth and Jean-Marie are ready to wait for the wine to be right before selling it, and unlike any other producer we work with, their non-vintage Champagne is kept longer than the vintage. The Egrot Brut Champagne is based on 2011, with reserves from 2010, and the current batch has seen eight years on the lees. It is composed of 80% Pinot Noir from the grand cru of Ay and 20% Chardonnay from the 1er cru of Louvois and dosed at a little under 8 grams per liter. This wine has the silky texture and tiny streamers that only patience brings and I think you will be surprised at the finesse of this bottle. That being said, the power is still there, and I love this Champagne with full flavored, hot smoked salmon!
Top Value!
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By: Stephanie Vidales | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 12/3/2019 | Send Email
What a deal! This Pinot Noir dominant Champagne from Egrot is simply delicious and a great choice for your holiday festivities. It packs a punch with flavors of red cherry and grapefruit along with chalky texture and bright acidity. It has fantastic balance and can be enjoyed as an aperitif or with food.
Top Value!
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By: Diana Turk | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 12/3/2019 | Send Email
Don't let the new label fool you! This release was formerly called Elisabeth Goutorbe, named for the pedigreed winemaker who has charmed guests at many a Champagne Tent Event. She's ventured out on her own and while the name and packaging underwent a makeover, what's inside the bottle is as impressive as ever. Crisp with red cherry Pinot fruit, this is both chalky with elegant mousse, and shows complex leesiness tempered by bright acid and structure. This nonvintage release is drinking beautifully now, and the price - especially for Aÿ - is nearly impossible to beat.
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By: Cindy Westby | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 11/26/2019 | Send Email
Medium body, loads of dark red cherry Pinot Noir fruit. Satisfying and delicious alone - or paired with something on the earthy, savory side.
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By: Chris DePaoli | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 11/26/2019 | Send Email
I'm a big fan of this producer, mostly for making classic champagne with just a touch of novelty. Much in the vein of Bollinger, this is a Pinot Noir heavy cuvee and shows it in a bing cherry nose and muted raspberry. The fun part is that oft-mentioned chalkiness though, uncharacteristic for Pinot vineyards in Champagne, shows up in a big way midway through the palate and doesn't leave through the long complex finish. Solid Juice.
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By: Stefanie Juelsgaard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 11/24/2019 | Send Email
This bottle of Champagne defines balance for me. I think it is the perfect blend of fruit and acidity, while still showing depth and richness from the Pinot Noir. I think this is an incredible value and is the absolute perfect choice for an occasion, not only because of the great price-point, but because it exhibits qualities that could please even the most discerning palate. This is my new house sparkling for sure.
Top Value!
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By: Shaun Green | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 2/19/2019 | Send Email
The quality of the Egrot Brut based on 2008 isn't as surprising when you consider that it is almost all Grand Cru Ay fruit (80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chard)and benefits from the wonderful talents of the Egrot team. The small does of Mutigny fruit provides a lovely texture and creamy notes layered over a nicely chalked minerality. Superb!
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By: William Beare | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 2/8/2019 | Send Email
The "brut" from Egrot could not be more different than the "extra brut," but for the fact that they are both very well-made champagnes. while the later sees long lees contact, the former is aged "sur lie" for even longer (over five years), expanding the toastiness and adding dark fruit character-- sweet cherry and black raspberry. A perfect party champagne-- this has clean and refreshing elements as well as a wonderful brioche richness that will suit any tastes.
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By: Rachel Alcarraz | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 2/5/2019 | Send Email
Based on the impeccable 2008 vintage with reserves of 2006 and 2007 as well, the Egrot has a pretty weighted mid palate with a richness of toasted brioche and cinnamon. Like their extra brut, all notes about this wine will say it is aged for 3 years on the lees (already twice the legal minimum), but it is usually much more- sometimes up to 8! The textural palate is still focused with a long, mineral driven finish which to me, shows the power of the 2008 vintage.
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By: Morgan Laurie | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 2/16/2018 | Send Email
This bottling from Elisabeth Goutorbe showcases why our direct imports are such a steal. Balanced, elegant and charming, all under $35. The palate is rich and complex while also having tons of fresh minerality and bright acidity. Tons of black cherry with a little toast and hazelnut. One to grab for any occasion or gathering and sure to please even the most finicky of palates.
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By: Mari Keilman | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 12/31/2015 | Send Email
Intense, yet exquisitely balanced, the Cuvee Eclatante has a subtle minerality on the nose, the classic bright apple fruit in the mouth and an elegant, seamless hazelnut finish.
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By: Dave Genevro | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 12/12/2015 | Send Email
This is a unique and lively wine from a village in Champagne with a very rich history, Ay. This cuvee is composed of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay. The Pinot Noir gives this wine a vivacious and expressive nose, with great semi-constant bubbles that makes for a quite elegant texture. With a hint of slate, our buyer, Gary Westby, puts it best in his review by saying, "It has a good finish with a line of chalky minerality that is uncommon in Pinot Noir-based Champagnes, but the signature of Ay grand cru." This is a gem that over performs for it's quality to price ratio. Enjoy this wine while it is here. The more that is left at the store, the more there is for me!
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By: Jim Boyce | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 3/28/2013 | Send Email
This Champagne is easily one of our top values. Made up of mostly 2007 fruit, the Pinot Noir really shines. Lots of black cherry with ripe raspberry notes, dry, chalky minerality (as mentioned numerous times), and well rounded acidty really make this an exceptional wine.
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By: Adam Parry | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 10/26/2012 | Send Email
I love this Champagne. It has the most explosive bead when it hits the palate, tongue tickling goodness.%100 estate grown fruit. %70 Pinot Noir, %25 Chardonnay and %5 Pinot Meunier.Really stunning and a very reasonable price for this quality.
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By: Christie Brunick | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 10/17/2012 | Send Email
From the daughter of Henroit Goutorbe, Elisabeth is making something so elegant and superb for a far better price! 70% Pinot noir, and 25% Chardonnay, with 5% Pinot Meunier, this Champagne is rich and moussy, with a full of honey and caramelized fruit on the nose and finish. delicate yet plush, and a steal in my book!
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By: Jacques Moreira | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/3/2012 | Send Email
This is a new Champagne for me that thanks to our buyer Gary Westby, I had the chance to taste and love it. With a fascinating nose of caramel toffee, some cocoa powder and a surprising wiff of pain-au-chocolat and cherries that brought back memories of a breakfast on a back street cafe around the Champs-Elisees. A great wine for a very elegant apperitif.
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By: Gary Lai | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/24/2010 | Send Email
Great tasting Champagne with good pinot noir flavor. Very well balanced on the palate with nice body.
A little toasty with a taste of rhubarb undertone. Yes I like it!
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