Champagne Ayala Brut Majeur (DS Label) 750mL

FRANCE : CHAMPAGNE

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier

LIGHT-BODIED, LEMON, WHITE PEACH, BRIOCHE, CHALK, NO OAK

Ayala sits in Aÿ, the Grand Cru village that built its name on Pinot Noir, and makes its argument with Chardonnay — 55% here, up from 45% a few years back. The house is unusually candid about why: Chardonnay handles a warming Champagne better. Dosage came down at the same time, from 7 g/L to 6.

That low dosage is the point. Nothing sugars over the finish, so what you get is lemon, chalk and a saline edge, with the pastry note coming from three years on lees against a fifteen-month legal minimum. Stainless steel throughout, no oak anywhere.

Owned by the Bollinger family since 2005 and run as a separate house with the opposite style — where Bollinger is oak and Pinot, Ayala is steel and Chardonnay. Jamie Goode tasted the two side by side in January and gave this one the edge, at two-thirds the price. James Suckling 95 pts, base 2022.

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