This Blanc de Blancs has shed its initial minerality and gained rich fruitiness. Apricots as well as more citrus flavors abound, bringing out a full and round character. From Grand Cru vineyards on the Côte des Blancs, this is ready to drink.

A rich, toasty version, backed by vibrant acidity, with flavors of brioche, yellow plum and apricot fruit, toasted hazelnut and spun honey, accented by spice and graphite notes. Long, zesty finish. Drink now through 2027. – AN

I last tried a bottle of the fine 2007 Ayala Blanc de Blancs two years ago and the wine has blossomed nicely in the interim. This is all grand cru fruit, with Ayala sourcing the grapes from the villages of Mesnil, Chouilly and Avize. Today the wine is quite wide open and drinking beautifully, offering up a complex nose of pear, delicious apple, a touch of lemon peel, brioche, a touch of almond pastry cream and chalky soil tones. On the palate the wine is fullish, poised and well-balanced, with good depth at the core, elegant mousse, fine framing acids and very good length on the complex finish. As this has opened up, it has lost just a touch of backend grip and is clearly now at its apogee of peak drinkability. I would be inclined to drink this over the next few years, for though it has the capability to last for another decade or so, I have the sense that the wine has now peaked and will not be more interesting than it is today. 2016-2020+.