AŸ À LA

Champagne AYALA was the first bottle of wine I ordered when I landed in Los Angeles this spring. AYALA is made in Aÿ, which is in Champagne. In French, AŸ À LA literally means “from Aÿ to LA.” How about that?! It didn’t occur to me at the time, but it sure makes me smile now. I love a happy Champagne coincidence.

Champagne AYALA was founded in 1860 by Edmond de AYALA. He was a pioneer in low dosage wines, which means less added sugar, and that means DRY! Aÿ is known for its Pinot Noir, but Champagne AYALA specializes in Chardonnay. For me:

DRY + CHARDONNAY = HEAVEN

AYALA’s Champagne Brut Majeur is 55% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir & 15% Pinot Meunier. It’s made in steel vats, aged on the lees (dead yeast cells) for three years, and has 6 grams of added sugar per liter. Brut Majeur means Majorly Brut, which—I’ll say it again—means nice and dry. In the glass, it’s light gold with really lovely bubbles. It smells like white flowers and a bit of citrus fruit. Champagne AYALA Brut Majeur is elegant as hell. I sipped it solo, but would also love it with cheese or fish.

Astor Wines has Champagne AYALA Brut Majeur for $53.99.
It tastes way more expensive than that.

Chin!