Caroline Latrive

Coming Up

Training at Reims and the National Diploma of Oenology (DNO) (1997) gave Caroline Latrive the technical base that runs through the rest of her career. From there, each post added a different layer of cellar practice: intern at Champagne Palmer, winemaker at Bollinger (until 2000), consultant at Oeno-Champagne (2000–2004), then intern at Bollinger (from 2004). By 2007, at Maison Ayala, Caroline Latrive had moved into assistant to the Cellar Master (2007–2012), a role that placed her directly inside the structure she would later help shape. As Chef de cave at Ayala (Aÿ) (2014), her name became linked with the house’s poise and brightness. Since 2022, Caroline Latrive has been Chef de caves of Maison Deutz, Vertus, continuing in the same register of exacting work and composed style.

Where They Are Now

At Ayala, the style associated with Caroline Latrive is freshness, elegance, and low dosage. That combination is built for line and lift rather than weight, and it places the emphasis on balance, clarity, and a restrained finish. The house’s champagnes are described as precise, delicate, fresh, and elegant, which aligns with a cellar approach focused on preserving definition instead of pushing volume. That approach is stated plainly in her own words: “The purpose of winemaking for me is clear: to let the wines express themselves by grape-variety, by village and cru, and by vintage too.” Read in trade terms, the line sets out a method: let site, grape, and year remain legible, and avoid masking what the fruit and base wine already carry. Across Brut Majeur, Rosé Majeur, and Brut Nature, that method is presented through the house range as a consistent way of working rather than a single signature gesture. The result is a profile that favors articulation over volume, letting nuance surface through balance and control.

Signature

Caroline Latrive's signature wines include Brut Majeur, Rosé Majeur, Brut Nature, and Perle d’Ayala 2006. Together, they point to a cellar style defined by proportion, freshness, and a controlled hand with structure. Within Maison Ayala, these wines show the range of her work while staying aligned to the same priorities: precision, elegance, and a clear, focused profile.

In Their Words “The purpose of winemaking for me is clear: to let the wines express themselves by grape-variety, by village and cru, and by vintage too.”