Treasure Under The Radar - Champagne Ayala ($55)

by Andrew Chalk

I was just put in touch with one of the most interesting Champagnes I have tasted recently - Champagne Ayala.

It is owned by James Bond's favorite Champagne house, Champagne Bollinger. However, the style is lighter, arguably more copacetic with the celebration events that one associates Champagne with.

The boutique maison, led by the dynamic Chef de Cave Caroline Latrive (one of the only female cellar masters in the region), produces Chardonnay-focused wines that deliver immediate pleasure, freshness and elegance. Ayala is, for the most part, an under the radar Champagne brand, but I

expect that to change.

Some of the vineyards used by Champagne Ayala