A young mother was ushering her toddler into a minivan and I stopped the car: “excuse-moi, mais c’est ou la maison de champagne Ayala?” She smiled – more Yummy Mummy than Soccer Mom – and told me to wait while she put her daughter in the van. She came back, gave me flawless directions and a big smile, and I was at Ayala in minutes flat.
The town’s website apologizes for having no documentation prior to 1095, but is confident of its importance right back to Roman times. The champagne house Ayala was founded in 1860 by a Spanish aristocrat who married a local Viscount’s niece and who just happened to have a surname eerily similar to that of the town. Ayala’s champagnes had great international success almost immediately and the company was one of the founding members of the Grandes Marques in 1882.
Ayala lost its way and languished somewhat as the 20th century wore on, and was finally purchased by its heavyweight neighbour Bollinger in 2005, but it’s back now. I met with the man who now runs Ayala, a very august looking gentleman called Hervé Augustin, who spent most of his lengthy career at Bollinger and now runs Ayala, in his enormous high-ceilinged office which was the opposite of fussy.
I mistook his reserve for annoyance over my lateness but soon realized that, like so many of the people I met in Champagne, he was passionate about what he did and couldn’t wait to talk about it. He gamely toured me around the facilities, including the usual deep caves containing vast numbers of bottles, even though it was 7pm and all the staff had gone home. We ended up in the tasting room and I complimented him on the exciting new typography on the labels, noting how stylish and modern it was. He informed me that it was a hundred years old and that they’d decided to revive it. He corrected me in the most suave and no-big-deal way, and then got the bottles out.
The Champagnes of Ayala
Ayala Zero Dosage
Ayala's response to the new no-added-sugar trend has a very fresh nose with some darker red fruit notes. Very sharp acidity, slightly mouth-puckering in fact, but it’s rescued by the solid amount of fruit. Once you adjust to the acidity the fruitiness gives it a richness and there’s a good finish with some lemon peel. 89 points.
Ayala Brut Majeur
Muted but fairly rich nose with a hint of sweetness – perhaps as a result of tasting immediately after the Zero. There’s only a moderate amount of fruitiness, but it’s all nicely in balance. A very “easy drinking” champagne with a good finish. 88 points.
Ayala Blanc de Blanc 2000 Grand Cru
A mature nose typical of a vintage – but in this case the maturation is really just beginning. Great acidity for freshness and a good amount of fruit, including citrus. Very light and elegant on the palate, as you’d expect of a blanc de blanc, and a really nice finish of lemon marmalade (if there is such a thing). 91 points.
La Perle D’Ayala 2000
Muted nose with darker notes of maturity. Smooth and rich on the palate with beautifully integrated fruit and toast. The acidity is fairly fresh on the “attack” and the flavours build on the mid-palate leading to a complex fruity, nutty, toasty finish. Great. 93 points.
Ayala Millesime 1999
Rich carmelly, toasty aged notes, but very discreet. Lots of fruit under, which keeps the nose fresh. Very lively on the palate and well balanced with more toasty/brioche notes over lemon rind. Very smooth and elegant – and 80% pinot noir – and a great finish. 93 points.
Ayala Rose Majeur
Brighter pink colour and lots of tiny bubbles. Very fruity – surprising cherry and melon notes. Lively acidity and fairly smooth on the palate – another easy drinking one. Nice finish. 88 points.
Cuvee Rose Nature
Rich nose of ripe red fruit, but understated. A more elegant salmon pink colour on this one. Super dry on the palate, but enough fruit to balance. The slightly sharp acidity in the middle is more refreshing than annoying and everything pulls together nicely at the finish. 91 points.
Ayala Riche Majeur Demi Sec
Well demi sec means “half dry” but, this being champagne, in fact it means “super sweet”. The structure and quality is there, but I couldn’t get past the sweetness (40g residual sugar, when 8g or less is typical). Soda pop drinkers new to champagne would surely like it. Herve was flawlessly discreetly "je ne comprends pas, mais..." and all expressive eyebrows about it.
