This house was established in 1860 by Edmond de Ayala, the son of a Colombian diplomat. The family had roots in Spain, as Edmond de Ayala’s great-grandfather, Don Antonio de Ayala y Vergara, was named Chancellor of New Grenada in 1750 by King Ferdinand VI, setting sail for what was to later become Colombia. Edmond de Ayala’s father, Don Rafael de Ayala y Lozano, was a senior officer in the Colombian army and later the General Consul of Colombia in Paris.
Hervé Augustin was appointed president and general manager of the house, while Nicolas Klym, who had been making wines for the house since 1979, was retained as chef de cave. Under Augustin, the house reinvented its style, focusing heavily on non-dosé champagnes, as well as increasing its use of chardonnay. Since 2012, the direction of the house has been in the hands of Hadrien Mouflard, and Caroline Latrive has taken over as chef de cave, having previously worked alongside Klym since 2006. In addition, Ayala now owns 20 hectares of vines in the Côte des Blancs (Chouilly, Oger) and Vallée de la Marne (Passy-Grigny, Champvoisy), and the house has completed new winery facilities on its property in Aÿ as of 2013. Peter Liem
Read more about Ayala Champagne on the Emperor blog.
