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Edmond de Ayala in 1855, son of a Colombian diplomat, settled in Mareuil in Champagne to learn how to make wine. He married a d'Albrecht in 1858, who brought Château d'Aÿ and his vineyard to the wedding, and together they founded Maison Ayala in 1860, with the brand registered with the Reims Commercial Court in 1875.
Edmond's brother, who had moved to London in the meantime and was a close friend of the Prince of Wales, asked his brother to develop a low-dose Champagne, and Ayala thus became the official supplier to the English crown. The image of Champagne Ayala is created and so is its success.
The vicissitudes of the phylloxera crisis in the 1885s, which almost wiped out the vineyard, the fire at the winery and Château in 1910, the 1914-1918 war, and the 1929 crisis weakened Ayala, which passed from hand to hand until 2005, when it was bought by Bollinger, whose winery is almost adjacent to each other and on the same street.
La Perle is Maison Ayala's prestige cuvée. It is made only in great years and is based on a blend exclusively of Grands Crus from Chouilly, Cramant, Le Mesnil sur Oger for the Côte des blancs and from Verzy for the Montagne de Reims.
2013 is a late year for the Champagne vineyard. It began with a long, cold winter that lasted until mid-April, causing a significant delay in the vegetative cycle. Spring, though mild, was marked by little sunshine and frequent rain. However, from mid-June onwards, exceptionally warm weather and Sec temperatures enabled optimum ripening. A few showers in September allowed the berries to gorge themselves with juice. The results are very heterogeneous, but this is a great vintage, even very great for the Grands Crus.
The blend, 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir, undergoes cellar aging under cork for 8 years. Racking is done on desks and disgorging by hand. The final dosage is 6g/L. This prestige cuvée is of great elegance and purity.
The wine boasts a deep, brilliant gold color. The nose is intense and complex with its gourmand notes of yellow fruit and cookie enhanced by precise notes of roasting and a hint of brown tobacco. On the palate, the orchard fruitiness is confirmed, stimulated by citrus and spice, and enveloped in pastry sensations. The finish offers lovely bitters and refreshing salinity.
The 2013 Perle d'Ayala cuvée will energize a red tuna tataki, or melt into a Tonka bean crème brûlée.
