Unbottled – Ayala Brut Majeur Champagne

I always wanted to try this champagne, because I was curious to see how Bollinger’s influence plays out here. Luckily, my wife gave me a bottle of the Brut Majeur as a Christmas present.

The Brut Majeur is produced from a cuvée of 55 % Chardonnay, 30 % Pinot Noir and 15 % Pinot Meunier with a micro-vinification in 120 stainless steel tanks. It spends three years on the yeast. The base year is 2019 with 43 % reserve wines from ’16, ’17, ’18. It was disgorged in 7.22. The dosage is six g / litre.

Very ‘clean’ champagne

Surprisingly enough, the red fruits like cassis dominated the first impression of the Ayala in the aroma and the taste. Afterwards, toast, yeast and grapefruit peel took over. On the palate, there were again citrus fruits with lemon and grapfruit. Next, I noticed red fruits, cassis, gooseberries, brioche, apple and honey. The aftertaste was medium long with more citrus fruits and apple flavours.

Interesting glass

I tasted the champagne from the excellent Lobmeyr Ballerina White Wine Glass. Actually, I was quite surprised how well the champagne and the glass worked together. I guess it has just the right size for ‘younger’ champagnes with a bit more Chardonnay in the mix.

*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. The glass was provided by Lobmeyr.