Ratafia is what happens when a Champagne grower decides not to ferment the juice at all. Fresh grape must is fortified with grape spirit a move called mutage which halts fermentation before it can really begin and locks the natural sweetness in place. Most houses make ratafia from whatever fruit is left over; Egly-Ouriet does the opposite, using estate Grand Cru fruit from Ambonnay and their own eau-de-vie, then leaving it to mellow in old barrels for roughly four years. What emerges is amber, unctuous, and nowhere near cloying: dried apricot, walnut, orange peel, toffee and brown spice, with a long nutty finish that stays lively rather than sticky. Serve it cold in a small glass before dinner as an aperitif, or after, with cheese or a fruit tart. This is not Champagne, and it isn’t trying to be.