2016 Ayala Blanc de Blanc

Full bottle 1,698 g. Disgorged January 2022. It's not often that I think a champagne smells of ripe bananas. Also golden apples. Wisps of smoke and nervous citrus acidity tighten up a loose-knit, honeyed palate that seems to be inclined to splay broad and generous – seduction over precision. Mythology over mathematics. Gold over silver. But then there is that quicksilver whiplash of smoke and citrus, and everything is back in place. Correct. (TC)

Moving into the 2016 Champagne Le Blanc de Blancs Brut, this displays more floral softness, with notes of shortbread cookie, white flowers, and candied melon. It has a bit more energy on the palate and an airiness about it, with green apple and lemon pith. It is refreshing and clean, although it feels a touch hollow. It is perfect for drinking over the next 8-10 years as an aperitif. Founded in 1860, Ayala is based in Ay with the focus on Chardonnay. Caroline Latrive, who is originally from Reims, is the chef de cave, having assumed the role in 2011. She was previously at Champagne Bollinger, which purchased the house in 2005. All the wines are vinified in small stainless-steel tanks and go through malolactic fermentation, and they receive relatively low dosage levels ranging from zero to seven grams per liter. In 2018, they built an additional winery that increased the capacity by 3,300 hectoliters.

The 2016 Le Blanc de Blancs is one of the better wines I have tasted here of late. Exuberant and quite expressive, the 2016 soars with cents of lemon confit, marzipan and sweet spice, all in a forward, open-knit style that offers good near-term appeal. All this needs is a bit more focus in its bouquet, but is still a big step up from the past. Light tropical accents linger on the close.