Champagne Ayala - Brut Majeur

Name: Champagne Ayala - Brut Majeur
Brand: Champagne Ayala
Rating: 3.9 (47 reviews)

Champagne|Sparkling wine

Champagne

Effervescent

Sold individually

Drink or Keep

3.9/5 (47 customers)

94/100

James Suckling

90/100

Decanter

16/20

Jancis Robinson

floral

balanced

elegant

aperitif

"A unique blend of Ayala's finest vintages and the perfect expression of authentic savoir-faire".

This cuvée reveals elegant complexity, with an open, expressive nose of citrus fruit and white flowers, and a balanced palate combining freshness and vinosity. Excellent as an aperitif, it will harmoniously accompany every moment of your festive meals.

Features

Estate

Champagne Ayala

Cuvée

Brut Majeur

Designation

Champagne

Region

Champagne

Grape varieties

55% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, 15% Pinot Meunier

Terroirs

Limestone

Viticulture

Traditional and meticulous

Harvest

Manual

Winemaking

Traditional Champagne method, micro-vinification in 120 small stainless steel vats

Breeding

3 years on lees

Alcohol content

12%

Residual sugars

6 g/l

Tasting & pairing

Eye

Light golden colour, abundant fine bubbles

Nose

Open, expressive and delicate, with notes of citrus, flowers and white-fleshed fruit.

Mouth

Balanced, combining freshness and vinosity, precise, fruity with good length, mineral notes

Serve

AT 10°C

Drink before

2027

Food and wine pairing

Champagne par excellence for aperitifs, it can also be enjoyed with white fish, shellfish, poultry, a cheese platter...

Champagne Ayala

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Champagne

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Expert opinion

Bettane & Desseauve

4-star rated estates (top-quality producers, the glories of French winegrowing)

About the domain :

Born in Aÿ in 1860, this house was taken over by its neighbor Bollinger in 2005. A powerful ally, it has access to choice supplies - notably Pinot Noir - from some one hundred hectares, with over 90% of its crus classified on the crus scale. The fundamentals of the house - excellence, purity, uprightness - have been reaffirmed. These are champagnes for aesthetes, focused on low dosage, with the date of disgorgement on each bottle. Confirmation of the house's brilliant form, which is certainly entering the ranks of Champagne's greats, but with prices that remain very affordable, especially for the excellent brut-majeur.

Decanter

Rated wine (guide 2023) 90/100

About the wine:

Ayala's Brut Majeur has been reinvented with the 2019 base, which now contains more Chardonnay than any other NV from the big houses. The style is delicate and lively, with notes of yellow apple, lime and sweet pear, subtly supported by a touch of creaminess. Careful and precise, it represents excellent value for money. 55% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, 15% Meunier. Based on 2019 with 43% reserve wines from 2018, 2017 and 2016.

Guide Hachette des vins

Domaine noté Award-winning wines (Wines from this producer regularly win awards in the guide)

About the domain :

Based in Aÿ, Maison Ayala was founded in 1860 by Raphaël-Edmond-Louis Gonzague de Ayala, son of a Colombian diplomat, and Berthe-Gabrielle d'Albrecht, niece of Viscount de Mareuil. Owned by Champagne Bollinger since 2005, its cellar master is Caroline Latrive.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

Domaine rated (guide 2024) 1*Star (Stars in the making or quality winegrowers with a good level of production, you won't be disappointed when you taste the wines from these estates)

About the domain :

This venerable Aÿ brand, created in 1860, has belonged to neighboring Bollinger since February 2005. The brand, run by Hadrien Mouflard and his team, including cellar master oenologist Caroline Latrive, is relaunching itself around a fresher style of champagne, available in low dosage (6 grams/liter) and non-dosé, with malolactic fermentations smoothing out the edges. Today, Ayala has clearly found its style, which is very different from that of its parent company, which is windier and more markedly Pinot Noir.

Wine Enthusiast

Domaine noté Recommended (Wine producer recommended by Wine Enthusiast)

Jancis Robinson

Wine rated (guide 2023) 16/20

About the wine:

Much more character and value than the similarly priced Heidsieck Monopole! This wine tastes of love and ambition, and could be one of the best NV champagnes on the market.

James Suckling

Wine rated (guide 2024) 94/100

Customer reviews

Customer rating

3.9/5

out of 47 reviews

Note and review by M. BRUNO R. Published on 16/02/2020

Very disappointed because the corks of two. Bottles were dry...in T...the taste was altered... Not very normal... There were certainly two different batches.