First Taste: Ayala Collection No.16 and A/18

August 25, 2024|Sara Underdown.

Champagne Ayala Collection No.16 bottle with vineyard map pieces and grape varieties

Champagne Ayala has released the next iteration of its Collection series, entitled No. 16. Highlighting its speciality with chardonnay from 2016. It’s the fourth opus, following No. 8 (launched in 2017), No. 7 (launched in 2020) and No. 14 (launched in 2022).

I still recall my first experience with Collection, the No. 7, which was a totally different blend, inclusive of pinot noir. The series offers a particularly vinous outlook for the Maison with rich flavours and pert acidity, ideal for gastronomy, but they are also beautifully constructed and made to age. What’s more, it really shows Ayala’s craftsman-like approach to cultivating the diversity of its terroirs around vintage conditions, and not just commercial objectives.

Collection No. 16 has just 7,357 bottles on offer, making it quite scarce and indeed fitting of its ‘collection’ title. I recently tasted it with long-time Export Director, Laurence Alamanos, when she was in Australia which was enlightening it itself.

2016 wasn’t a particularly good year in champagne; a year of extreme weather was characterised by a cool and very wet spring followed by scorching temperatures in summer, which provided some saving graces for those a little more strategic with their fruit sourcing. This is exactly what Ayala has done.

Not only is it remarkable to produce a blanc de blancs from a year that struggled for ripeness, but also one inclusive of heirloom varietals. Fifty percent of the blend constitutes Arbane, Pinot Blanc and Petit Meslier in addition to fifty percent chardonnay. In my experience, Arbane particularly is challenging to grow in Champagne, only achieving aromatic ripeness in very warm years and in strategically located terroir. To this end, the Arbane came from Aÿ, which does offer a warmer microclimate (to be quite general). Pinot Blanc was sourced from Avenay-Val-d'Or and Petit Meslier from Cuis in the Côte des Blancs. Notably, all fruit comes from Grand and Premier Crus.

In the typical Ayala style, vinification took place in small stainless steel vats, before secondary fermentation in bottle and six years aging. The dosage is a meagre 5.4g/L to highlight the natural fruit and crisp minerality.

“The Collection series offers a different story each time,” says Laurence. “This is where our chef de caves can have some fun! This time, the focus is on alternative varietals, sourced from our growers. Yes, it was a cooler year but, in the end, there was sunshine which helped the aromatics.”

It seems the alternative varietals have really pushed the aromatics on this wine. According to Laurence, Pinot Blanc brings a lot of delicate flower aromas which is quite compelling when layered with fleshy, waxy, yellow fruit character. On the palate, there’s a porcelain-like delicacy and fine sense of chalkiness which I find very elegant and compliments the floral aromas beautifully. The other point to note is that it has had around one year post-disgorgement which has amplified the texture of the wine.

Also on preview was A/18, Ayala’s blanc de blancs flagship, this one based on 2018. Where previous releases have focused purely on Côte des Blancs chardonnay, the A/18 includes some fruit from Bisseuil in the Montagne de Reims because of the added freshness it brings. This is a bright and dynamic wine that again is very delicate but you can feel there is generosity coming, as you would expect from this very warm vintage. In November, champagne lovers can get their opportunity to secure an allocation of this very delicious champagne.

It's always fascinating to see progress and change in Maisons, especially those so steeped in history and tradition. The latest releases from Ayala demonstrate a progressive pathway, which started around 2019, and is only now beginning to manifest. At the time, Julian Gout, who is now chef de caves, was shadowing predecessor Caroline Latrive. Together they made a number of decisions to improve quality, particularly around the Brut Majeur NV, including a new bottle shape to capture a greater autolysis effect, lower dosage and increased reserves (now 40%, up from 30%). Additionally, there is longer time allowed for maturation prior to secondary fermentation (for the non-Majeur champagnes). This all adds to an amplified sense of luxury and texture in the Ayala style.

Never before have their wines looked so stunning.