Ayala Champagne Brut Nature
Ayala Champagne Brut Nature Brut Nature demonstrates to perfection the high quality of grapes used by the House to craft its wines, and its remarkable expertise in vinification. Making a no-dosage wine is quite complex, and Ayala’s expression offers nothing short of purity and precision.
Ayala’s Brut Nature is a blend of 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier, and spends nearly 4 years in the cellar ageing so that the acidity is integrated.
The color is bright gold, with a silver hue. The nose is direct but fine, and marked by precise notes of citrus fruit with a saline component. On the palate, the wine is complex and clean. It remains full of purity and tension, delivering dry mineral notes along with flavors of grapefruit and white fruit.
Ayala currently owns 35 acres in Champagne. Thanks to its privileged location in the heart of the Grand Crus of Montagne de Reims and their link to Bollinger, they also have unique access to top quality grapes.
Ayala Brut Nature is a blend of 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier. The quality of Ayala is the result of a very careful selection of the grapes. Everything from grape reception, vinification, aging, riddling and disgorgement is done at the Ayala cellars. The Brut Nature is aged for more than 3.5 years and rests in the cellars for at least 3 months after disgorgement.
“Pale gold. Nervy lime, ginger and floral scents, with suggestions of iodine and tarragon. Tightly wound, mineral-driven citrus fruit flavors put on weight with air and take a turn to deeper nectarine and pear.
Brut Nature is the perfect match for oysters, raw fish and shellfish, sea urchin and caviar. It is also ideally suited to Thai cuisine or sushi, maki and sashimi.
ABOUT THE HOUSE OF AYALA
Ayala is one of the most exciting stories in Champagne today, and the definition of a boutique Champagne producer. This historic house has been rivatilized by a small, young and dynamic team that handles every step of production, from grape reception to labeling, in their jewel of a facility. Ayala crafts Chardonnay-focused wines that deliver immense precision, elegance and pleasure.
The House has been long-known as the “sleeping beauty of Champagne” because of its prominence in the late 19th and first half of the 20th century, and its beautifully preserved Art Deco cellars dating to 1912. Ayala was one of the 18 founding members of the “Grandes Marques de Champagne” syndicate in 1882 and went through a golden age in the 1920s and 1930s, rising to prominence as one of the most exported Maisons in Champagne — the drink of choice in bohemian Paris and London. Ayala’s re-ascent after a long quiet period began when it was acquired by the Bollinger family in 2005. Today, it is important to note that both estates are run independently, with equally independent philosophies.
Last but not least, Ayala is led by the immensely talented Cellarmaster Caroline Latrive, one of very few female winemakers in Champagne today. To an extraordinary degree, she has pushed a small vineyard plot approach.