Ayala Blanc De Blancs

Tatler Champagne Guide 2024-2025

Grape Makeup:

100% Chardonnay

Sweetness Level:

Extra Brut

Ageing on Lees:

Four+ years

Price:

$$

Cellar:

Five to ten years

Category:

Celebration

What

A historic house, founded in 1860, that flailed for several years before being purchased by Bollinger in 2005, which instigated seismic shifts in quality and sales.

Where

Aÿ, Vallée de la Marne; 20ha split between Aÿ and Dizy in the Grande Vallée, Chouilly and Oger in the Côte des Blancs and others in the Vallée de la Marne. It has access to 100ha through relationships with growers, some of which it shares with Bolly.

Why

Brut Majeur is one of the best NV champagne values on the market, and the vintage Blanc de Blancs feels like a distillation of the same refined, Chardonnay-driven aesthetic. In an era when so many Blanc de Blancs seem to be fattening out and softening up, this stays true to the classic style, upright with a laser-etched finesse.

What Else

The classic Brut Majeur is a taut, polished Chardonnay blend: picture-perfect NV champagne with all the richness in all the right places. The Brut Nature takes the flintiness of BM and runs with it, with overtones of pencil shaving and struck match, but generous weight and density on the palate, the product of longer lees ageing.

Tasting Notes

Bright, citrussy and even a little shrill this gives notes of verbena, finger lime, green apple and white tea. It stays very taut on the palate, with an extra boost of wet stone and sour cream tart sharpness and just a hint of funk. A noticeable cutting bitterness and chalky phenolics work well with the bright acidity on the back, where it opens up to slightly more butter biscuit autolysis.

Try It With

Tart salads, even better with goat cheese

When To Drink

Apéritif

Perfect For

Your friend who lives for l'apéro

Tatler Tip

Keep this pretty bottle away from direct light

TL/DR

Citrussy and taut with a tonic finish

Supplier

Jebsen