Ayala : La Perle Brut 2013

A vibrant, minerally Champagne, with a fine, lush mousse, this shows notes of smoke, oyster shell and ground ginger and anise accenting flavors of quince paste, green almond and blood orange gelée. Well-knit and harmonious. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Disgorged July 2021. Drink now through 2028. 40 cases imported.

The softness and length here are very precise, with a creamy texture. Bread dough, apple tarte Tatin and salted butter. Always subtle. Very long and alluring. 80% chardonnay from Chouilly, Le Mesnil and Cramant. 20% pinot noir from Aÿ. 8 years on lees. 6 g/l dosage. Drink or hold.

La Perle d'Ayala 2013 lives up to its name and sets the bar much higher than the house’s other wines. A Champagne that is both vinous and mouthwatering. It has great length and breed, with its lovely honeyed and floral aromatics and a clean, persistent palate.

Disgorged in July 2021 with six grams per liter dosage, Ayala's 2013 Brut La Perle is showing brilliantly, offering up aromas of crisp white peach and other stone fruits mingled with hints of shortbread, beeswax and flowers. Medium to full-bodied, suave and seamless, it's elegantly vinous, with a textural attack that segues into an ample, vibrant mid-palate that's animated but not dominated by the vintage's tangy acids. This Chardonnay-dominant cuvée is a terrific success this year.