Tres Hermanos Short Gordito (No. 4) – Ayala No 7 2007.

Some time ago, the very kind people at Tres Hermanos sent me some cigars. one has already appeared in Kenfessions and others will surely follow. Now, as a person known for a preference for the long and skinny, this might get awkward (is there a cigar equivalent for cacomorphobia?). Among their offerings is their No 4, Tres Hermanos Short Gordito (No. 4). Let me assure you that it does not resemble the Monte 4 in any way. But I am all for judging on merits, hence I was determined to do so with this cigar. 

We are getting close to square cigars, but I do understand that people love the shorter fatter styles. And it does not get much shorter or fatter than this. A cigar ten centimetres in length and with a 70 ring gauge. Yes, that is not a misprint. I had to use a punch – I normally do, anyway – as no clipper is going to work. you’d need a clipper crossed with a chainsaw. 

Honestly, my first impression was that I was at the dentist. It feels like your gob has been wedged open and something bad is about to happen. That or you’ve tried to swallow a baseball bat. Lighting is also an issue. I mean, think about it. Just firing up the lighter or a match is not going to cover it. attend to one bit and by the time you get elsewhere, you have to look elsewhere and then back again. It is also very hard to maintain. 

But we are on merits here. And it opened rich, full and powerful. If you are after the elegant, delicate style, then no. But just as many love the big ring gauge, so do they love full-flavoured. The flavours were in the roast meats and earthy spectrum. In fairness, there was no real evolution in this cigar (one could argue it is too short but that is not it). It actually takes a long time to smoke. I wish I had measured it but I did not. Suffice to say, a lot longer than I expected. 

Overall, once one gets used to the weirdness of a cigar like this, there is plenty to like, for those who go for the big flavours. A powerful, muscular smoke. Score? Well, overall I quite enjoyed it. But it will be a real love or hate cigar for most. So it could go either way. But I would recommend everyone had a crack at it, if you get the opportunity.

The match? Ayala No 7 2007. If, as I so often do, I may plagiarise myself (this from the Quill & Pad site), a little on this fabulous champagne. The Champagne House of Ayala (no relation, at least as far as I am aware) has enjoyed a revival of fortunes in recent years. The quality of Ayala has never been better. If you have neglected this House in the past, time to have a rethink. Many champagne lovers think of this House as the little sister of the famous Bollinger. I prefer to think of it as a once-venerable House saved by Bollinger. 

The House dates back to 1860, when Edmond de Ayala, who was in France as his father was a diplomat from Columbia, married “a socialite from Ay” (which sounds a bit like describing the poor woman as one of the Kardashians of that era). Edmond decided he’d start a champagne house and he did so most successfully, his wines being especially popular in England. Much of that success was attributed to the efforts of Fernand, Edmond’s younger brother, who moved to London in 1863. His connections to the aristocracy proved invaluable. They were also one of the houses which moved to lower dosage, following the lead of Madame Pommery and her famous 1864. Their 1865 has been described as having a “very low dosage for the time”. Of course, what was low back then would still have been seriously sweet for us. Dosages are far lower these days. 

Champagne Ayala was also one of the founding members of the Syndicat des Grandes Marques in 1882. By the 1920s, they were producing over a million bottles a year and were official suppliers to the royal courts of both England and Spain. They had purchased another champagne house, Champagne Montebello, and had also taken possession of the famous Château de Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, which the House owned until the mid-1930s. At least their family fared better than one previous owner who was sent to the guillotine. 

If we look at the last couple of decades of the previous century and the first few years of this one, the House was an adequate performer, but in Champagne, that is hardly a compliment. They were not a House one would seek out. Their vintages, when one encountered them (not often) were acceptable but their non-vintage, blanc des blancs and even their prestige champagnes never really excited. A passing mark is just not good enough at this level. 

In 2005, the House was purchased by Champagne Bollinger. It is still described as ‘family-owned’. Just not the original family. 

For me, and I am sure for many other champagne lovers, this signalled what we expected to be a certain turnaround leading to first-class wines. 

To be honest, if we were expecting immediate glory (and I’ll confess to a bit of that), it was inevitable that we would be disappointed. Great champagne takes time. A lot of time. The improvements have been evolutionary, rather than revolutionary, but the House of Ayala is now approaching where we expected it to be. They did jump on board the sans dosage bandwagon (no sugar styles) that were so briefly popular (although I suspect that they are still beloved of the supermodel crowd, thinking no sugar means no calories, forgetting about the calories contributed by the alcohol), but I find that is a very hard style to master and nothing I saw from Ayala convinced me that they had done so. But the wines were certainly better than they had been. 

Now we have the ‘Ayala Collection’, special champagnes that will be released occasionally when they are ready for drinking. The first, which I’ll confess I never saw, was a Rose, the ‘No 8, 2008’. It does seem a bit odd to have the first in the Collection series called ‘8’ and the second ‘7’, but no matter. It follows the vintages rather than any formal order. Actually, they claim the ‘8’ represents ‘renewal and creation’. 

This wine was a blend of Premier and Grand Cru vineyards from the Montagne de Reims. Only 14,700 bottles were made. It was 51% Chardonnay from the Rilly-la-Montagne and 49% Pinot Noir from Verzy, Aÿ and Verzenay. This included 5% of still red wine added for colour. It spent seven years on lees. Dosage was 8 grams/litre. 

Now, we have the second release from the Collection series, ‘No 7 2007’ (A$200). This is a blend from seven of the finest Grand Crus from the Côte des Blancs and the Montagne de Reims, from the 2007 vintage. 

With the stupendous 2008 vintage looming, and some cracking years like 2002 and 2004, and many fine champagnes from years like 2005 and 2006, 2007 has largely slipped through the cracks for most of us, as we enjoy an abundance of riches. However, Houses like Bollinger and the glorious Salon both released 2007 vintage champagnes, so it pays not to underestimate this ripe, friendly year. It does seem that 2007 suited Chardonnay more so than Pinot Noir. 

The details of this wine are that it has just 6 grams/litre dosage and spent an impressive 11 years on lees. The vineyards involved, all Grand Cru, are Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger from the Côte des Blancs; and Ay and Verzy from the Montagne de Reims. The blend is 66% Chardonnay and 34% Pinot Noir. Ayala tends to be seen as Pinot House, one reason it presumably appealed to Bollinger, but the quality of the Chardonnay here would belie that. 

What is interesting is that the bottle has seen the use of an agrafe cork while on lees. Not many houses maintain this tradition, but Bollinger is one. You can tell by the lip of the bottle not having the typical beer bottle lip for wines that spend time under crown seal while on lees, but a firm square arrangement which is necessary when they spend their lees years under cork. 

For me, this champagne was wonderfully aromatic. Nuts, stonefruits, florals, some underlying minerality. Apricot kernel notes. Hints of creamy peaches. Grilled cashews. This is ripe, the antithesis of the refined, more austere classics we are seeing from 2008. This is a champagne of sunshine and plushness. For me, this is very much like the very best champagnes from 2003 aspired to be, but they just never made it. A nice flick of acidity backs it all up. Finishes with hints of mango and caramel. Good length. 96. 

This is a really good champagne; indeed,  as good as I can ever recall from Ayala. If this is the direction Bollinger is taking them then we all have a lot to look forward to in the coming years. 

All that said, and as much as I do enjoy the occasional sparkler with a good cigar, these two did not play well together. Keep them apart. 

KBG