Champagne Ayala Brut Majeur NV

To our endless gratitude, Champagne Ayala is the pioneer of “dryer” Champagne. Founded in 1860 by Edmond de Ayala, the house curated one of the first Champagne styles with lower sugar levels in 1865 – bringing the dosage down from the typical 150 grams per liter of the time to about 21 grams. By today’s standards, that’s still cotton candy in liquid form, but back then… it was revolutionary, and quickly found favor with British aristocrats. In 1908, Ayala even received a Royal Warrant after the coronation of King Edward VII, further cementing its posh reputation. As of 2005, the Bollinger family owns Champagne Ayala, giving the estate a modernized look in 2007 and focusing on the Chardonnay grape to restore the “sleeping beauty of Champagne” back to its former glory after a post-World War II period of quietness.

Thankfully, Champagne Ayala has continued on their trajectory of dry Champagne, and their signature Brut Majeur takes a Brut dosage of only 6 grams. Winemaker Julian Gout artfully combines the fruit from over 70 crus coming from the 6 Grands Terroirs of Champagne Ayala: Côte des Blancs, Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Sézannais, Vitryat, and the Côte des Bar. The blend of 55% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, and 15% Pinot Meunier is then aged for 36 months on the lees.

With a purity of fruit and balanced expression of acidity, the lightly golden wine exposes persistent, refined bubbles with charismatic aromatics. Playful notes of muddled wild strawberries, white peach flesh, preserved lemons, and white pepper intertwine with more subdued hints of warm brioche, honeycomb, chalk, river stones, and blanched almonds. This is all-around lively, crisp, and crowd-pleasing, yet with a sophistication and complexity that far outpaces its $38 price tag. Wrap up Fizz Fest weekend with the best kind of bang, and bring home at least a couple of these!