Champagne Ayala Brut Majeur NV

The House has an incredible history, which is first of all that of a visionary spirit, with a melodic name from afar. The name Ayala seems to have been custom-made, by chance, for the village of Aÿ, where the House has been located since its creation in 1860. A curious and audacious personality from Colombia, Edmond de Ayala always sought to go the extra mile. The House Ayala is vibrant with the spirit of excellence and adventure inspired by its founder.

A pioneer in introducing a drier style, Ayala had the flair to launch “dry champagne” in 1865, with only 21 g/L. A bold statement in favor of purity, contrasting with the traditional French dosage of more than 150 g/L at that time.

Ayala was one of the founding members of the Syndicat des Grandes Marques in 1882, today called the Union des Maisons de Champagne.

The House enjoyed a golden age in the 1920’s with an annual production of one million bottles, placing it among the greatest Houses of the times. During the post-war era, the House was led by two great men of Champagne, René Chayoux and Jean-Michel Ducellier, who further contributed to the development of the appellation.

To restore the “sleeping beauty” of Aÿ to its former greatness, Ayala was purchased by Groupe Bollinger which led to the construction of a new winery in 2007.

Today 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 to winemaking, all in an effort to create more complex blends and to capture every bit of fresh aromatics as possible.