Ayala

History

According to the house, Edmond de Ayala founded it in Aÿ in 1860.¹ The house says that in 1865 it launched a "dry champagne" with 21 g/L of sugar, at a time when the usual French dosage was above 150 g/L.¹ These figures are the house's own account; for today's terms see dosage and the sugar scale.

The house also says it was a founding member, in 1882, of the Syndicat des Grandes Marques, which it describes as the forerunner of today's Union des Maisons de Champagne.¹ It gives a production of one million bottles in the 1920s.¹

Ownership

The Bollinger family acquired Ayala in 2005. A new vat room followed in 2007, and Hadrien Mouflard became managing director in 2012.¹ The UMC profile lists the group as Bollinger, with 21 ha of own vines in 8 villages.² See also Bollinger.

Style

The house says its wines are built around Chardonnay and a wide range of crus.¹