Champagne Ayala

Contemporary House Since 1860

The History - From The Foundation to The Present Day

Champagne Ayala is one of the longest-established champagne Houses; it has been based in Aÿ, at the heart of the great champagne vineyards, since it was founded over 150 years ago. 

Independent and family-owned, it is still today the archetype of a great and historic House, producing top quality wines which are enjoyed throughout the world for their freshness and elegance.

Edmond de Ayala, founder of the House in 1860, came from a family that had always aspired to go one step further. His ancestors bequeathed him with a sense of excellence and a taste for adventure that drove him to settle in Aÿ in order to learn about winemaking.

From the very beginning, the House quickly became a reference both in France and overseas.

As a young champagne House, Champagne AYALA owed its rapid expansion in large part to Fernand de Ayala, Edmond’s younger brother, who in 1863 settled in London where he mixed with British aristocracy and introduced the House’s unique flavour profile to British connoisseurs, notably with the 1865 vintage that had a very low dosage for the time.

The 1920s were a remarkable golden age during which Champagne Ayala produced over a million bottles each year, ranking the House amongst the top brands in Champagne at the moment. Champagne Ayala was also official supplier to the royal courts of England and Spain and hired over 100 workers.

In 2005 the Bollinger family bought this fine estate, with the intention of restoring it to its former glory. This was the start of a resurgence for Champagne Ayala, with complete restoration of winemaking facilities and the arrival of new staff.

Style - A Guarantee of Quality Recognized all Over The World

Pioneers in introducing a drier style than was customary during the second half of the 19th century, Champagne Ayala remains known today throughout the world for its fresh and elegant wines.

Champagne Ayala crafts wines that are popular for their precision, delicacy, ethereal quality and their style based on freshness and elegance.

Well-balanced blends giving Chardonnay a major role, precise vinifications conducted in small thermo-regulated stainless steel vats and low dosage levels: these are all elements that define the House’s emblematic references’ unique personality.

Caroline Latrive Cellar Master since 2011, works incessantly on this mission, ensuring that the House style is maintained by focusing on quality rather than quantity.

The Location - A Unique Architectural Heritage

Established in Aÿ, in the heart of the region’s most prized vineyards, Champagne AYALA’s architectural heritage is outstanding and provides a unique setting to demonstrate the House’s consummate expertise.

Every stage of winemaking is carried out on location, from vinification to shipping, not to mention ageing, riddling, disgorgement, labeling and conditioning.

The 2 kilometres of caves are home to almost 2,5 million bottles, slowly maturing in the centuries-old cellars dug out of Aÿ’s chalky hillsides.

The superb buildings which can be seen today, built in the Art Deco style, are not the original ones, which were destroyed during the 1911 winegrower’s revolt.

The current production facilities and offices still defines today the personality of Champagne Ayala.

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