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Champagne Ayala

Le Blanc de Blancs 2013

Champagne, France

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Ayala’s Blanc de Blancs is 100% Chardonnay, produced in small quantities in exceptional years only and fully expresses the superb caliber of great Chardonnay from the best crus of the Côte des Blancs. It is truly a unique vintage offering.

Ayala Blanc de Blancs 2013 is 100% Chardonnay from 3 Grand and 2 Premier Cru villages on the Côte des Blancs: Cramant (25%), Chouilly (23%), Le Mesnil-sur-Oger (14%), Cuis (25%) and Vertus (13%). After 6 years of aging in Ayala’s cellars, remarkable minerality and low dosage make this an outstanding wine that can accompany a variety of flavorful dishes, or stand on its own.

Vineyard

Ayala Blanc de Blancs 2013 is 100% Chardonnay from 3 Grand and 2 Premier Cru villages on the Côte des Blancs: Cramant (25%), Chouilly (23%), Le Mesnil-sur-Oger (14%), Cuis (25%) and Vertus (13%). Ayala currently owns 35 acres in Champagne. Thanks to its privileged location in the heart of the Grand Crus of Montagne de Reims and their link to Bollinger, they also have unique access to top quality grapes.

Winemaking

Everything from grape reception to vinification, aging, riddling and disgorgement is done at the Ayala cellars. The Blanc des Blancs rests on the lees in the cellar for 6 years after disgorgement, in order to develop complexity, intensity and roundness on the palate.

Tasting Note

Right from the start, this wine is striking, yet voluptuous and vibrant, showing a silky texture with a lively edge, and finishing with a balanced bittersweet flavor. It releases notes of passion fruits, citrus fruit, ripe white fruit such as vine peaches, and subtle notes of acacia honey that bring a velvety sensation. The long finish is tightly wound on the pure line of characteristic chalky minerality for which the Côte des Blancs is famous.

Food Pairing

The purity of its aromatic character makes Blanc de Blancs 2013 the perfect epicurean apéritif, but it can also pair well with a variety of white fish, like turbot or john dory. Ideal to complement a wild sea bass with lemon butter, a pink peppercorn seasoned sea scallop carpaccio or lobster in a vanilla sauce.

Vintage

The 2013 vintage was one of the latest in the last decade. The Chardonnays on the Côte des Blancs were harvested at the beginning of October, before the rains and storms arrived. The year’s production brought an abundance of very high quality grapes with wonderful balance,which contribute to the outstanding complexity of this vintage.

Color

White

Grape Varieties

Chardonnay

Appellation

Champagne, France

Farming

Ayala encourages their growers to use organic fertilizers and avoid insecticides, herbicides and pesticides.

Alcohol

12%

Suggested Retail Price

$110.00

Reviews

91

"Well-knit and bright"

Wine Spectator - October 29, 2019 "Toast and spice notes enrich the lemon curd, glazed apricot and candied ginger flavors in this racy Champagne, with a fine, lively bead. Well-knit and bright, featuring a minerally finish."

93

"Count me impressed"

Jeb Dunnuck - March 27, 2020 "The 2013 Le Blanc de Blancs from Ayala is 100% Chardonnay sourced from three Grand Cru villages and 2 Premier Cru villages, all on the Côtes des Blancs. It offers a classic Blanc de Blancs nose of crushed citrus and lemon curd as well as notes of white flowers, toasted almonds, and freshly baked bread. Rich, medium-bodied, and beautifully textured on the palate, it shows the cooler, pure, focused style of the vintage yet has terrific depth and length. Count me impressed."

94

"Vibrant and intense"

Wine Advocate - May 1, 2020 "Disgorged in November 2018, Ayala's 2013 Brut Blanc de Blancs offers up an elegant bouquet of lemon oil, English walnuts, crisp yellow apples, linden blossom and hints of praline to come with bottle age. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with racy acids, a delicate mousse and a fine-boned, elegant profile. Concluding with a long and nicely defined finish, this vibrant and intense wine is one of the finest wines Ayala has released for some time."

95

"A picture of elegance and lightness"

Decanter - November 2, 2020 "A first whiff of lemon zest immediately sets the tone. More air and swirling then reveals a backdrop of chalk but also the enticing, cloudlike zestiness of lemon meringue pie. The palate comes in on very light feet – on tiptoe, in fact – but rather than mouth-puckering lemon, you get ultra-light, exquisite creaminess that almost has an edge of lemon oil, bedded on soft, gentle autolysis. A picture of elegance and lightness."

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