Alcohol Professor contributor Kelly Magyarics shined a light on zero dosage champagnes and highlighted Champagne Ayala Brut Nature as one of the best expressions of the style. Magyarics spoke with Cellar Master Caroline Latrive about the style of Brut Nature overall and learn more about Ayala’s winemaking process.
“Brut Nature shows our ability to create wines of great purity and elegance, without ‘makeup’ so to speak,” explains Latrive. The story then offers background on Ayala’s long history producing low dosage champagnes; it was actually the first major House to produce a drier style in 1865. With that, Latrive quickly points out that she doesn’t produce low sugar wine to keep with the trends, but to align with the style of the house.
“[Our] Brut Nature is marked by freshness, elegance, and rigorous grape selection.” Speaking of grape selection, Latrive “works with sixty to seventy crus from all over the region to select the most outstanding grapes from which to achieve balance.” The piece details Ayala’s winemaking process before Latrive adds that “the process of lowering the dosage is much more complex and nuanced than just a wine that lowers sugar levels; it also requires some patience to allow the bubbly to open up, evolve and reveal itself in the glass.”
There are several other great quotes from Latrive within the story, and Magyarics adds that Ayala Brut Nature “hits the perfect balance of angularity and tart acidity without becoming too austere. Alongside seared scallops and steamed lobster, it can lend the same brightness as a squeeze of lemon on the dish.” Read the full story HERE
Ayala_Alcohol-Professor_Brut-NatureRelated Wines
Champagne Ayala
Champagne Ayala Brut Nature NV
Champagne, France
Brut Nature, cellar-aged for almost 4 years, demonstrates to perfection the high quality of grapes used by the House to craft its wines, and its remarkable expertise in vinification. Being non-dosage, its purity and precision make it an ideal partner for seafood, in particular raw fish and shellfish, or oysters.
Related Producers
Champagne Ayala
Champagne, France
Ayala is one of the most exciting stories in Champagne today, almost the definition of a boutique Champagne producer. Independently owned, a small, young and dynamic team handles every step of production from grape reception to labeling in their jewel of a facility with incredible precision, crafting Chardonnay-focused wines that deliver immense pleasure, freshness, and elegance.
