Disgorged in July 2020 with only one gram per liter dosage, Francis Egly's 2011 Brut Grand Cru Millésime is a brilliant wine from a frequently dismissed vintage. Unfurling in the glass with scents of golden orchard fruit, buttery pastry, dried mango, clear honey and praline, it's full-bodied, muscular and vinous, with a broad, textural attack that segues into a deep, concentrated core. Built around bright acids and complemented by a pinpoint mousse, it concludes with a long, sapid finish. In a blind tasting, this is one of a small handful of wines that would be unrecognizable as 2011s, a year that was evidently an acid test for Champenois viticulturists.