Iconic Champagne Landscape
Medieval Fortifications and Infrastructure
Noble Estates and Architectural Heritage
Types of Soils
Vineyard Design and Labor Practices
Soil Composition and Topography
Vineyard Plots
Wines of Distinction
Iconic Champagne Landscape
Perched along the Marne River, Aÿ has offered visitors sweeping vistas of the Marne Valley for centuries. Early 20th-century travel literature described the view from Aÿ’s hills as a “splendid spectacle” stretching toward Reims and Épernay (Reims Epernay-Aÿ et la Region, Livrette-Guide, Paris, 1927).
Aÿ, nestled at the foot of vineyard-covered hills on the right bank of the Marne, lies just 27 km south of Reims, 29 km west of Châlons-sur-Marne, 3 km from Épernay, and 150 km east of Paris. The town’s ancient roots are visible in its narrow, winding streets.
According to historian M. Calmette, most of Aÿ’s 900 homes once belonged to affluent landowners, and the economy was centered entirely around viticulture. Its primary drawback? Being a thoroughfare, intersected by the Marne River and a main road to Paris.
Medieval Fortifications and Infrastructure
Historically, Aÿ was fortified with towers, walls, gates, and moats, designed to repel soldiers from the Montagne de Reims. These defences, authorized by Francis I and later confirmed by Henry III in the late 1500s, were gradually dismantled due to sanitation concerns.
Two public fountains, drawing water from forest springs 2 km away in areas like Maison-Blanche, Chêne, Forêts, Charles-Fontaine, Chipotay, and Champ-Perrier, provided clean water to residents.
Noble Estates and Architectural Heritage
Midway up the hillside once stood a stately château, its large windows offering panoramic views of the valley. This château belonged to Balthazar Constance Dangé-Dorçay in the early 19th century.
Dorçay inherited estates in Aÿ, Mareuil, Boursault, and Chouilly, along with considerable lands and wealth. However, he lost much of his fortune to gambling. The estate was later acquired by M. Froc de la Boulaye and passed to the Count of Mareuil.
Transportation infrastructure included four wooden bridges crossing the lateral canal of the Marne and a cast-iron railway bridge. Of the three stone bridges, two served as aqueducts during flooding, and a four-arched bridge at the Reims road junction and Strasbourg rail line completed the network.
Types of Soils
Soils across the plains, hillsides, and hilltops featured a light, spongy top layer that dried quickly. Near the forest, layers varied—beneath dry, reddish surface soil lay white or grey clay, followed by dark, sulfur-rich earth full of shell fragments, and then sand.
These deeper layers were used as natural fertilizers. At the base lay gypsum rock. In Les Forêts, silica was abundant and used for construction foundations. Around Saint-Imoges, clay, sand, and iron minerals added to the soil’s diversity.
Vineyard Design and Labor Practices
Aÿ’s “golden vineyards” were maintained with extraordinary precision, considered unmatched in France. Vines were planted in a quincunx formation—spaced 0.5 m apart with 0.9 m between rows.
Vineyard ownership remained private, and owners reaped all the profits. When vineyards were leased à la tâche (by task), seasonal labor excluded winter work and harvesting.
In 1855, a tâcheron earned 130–150 francs annually and received straw to tie the vines. In other cases, workers were paid daily.
By the 1850s, winter wages for a 7-hour day were 1.5 francs for men and 1 franc for women. During spring, men earned 2.25 francs and women 1.75 francs for 10-hour shifts. Meals were not provided. During harvest, wages (1–1.5 francs) were negotiated in the town square at 3 a.m. Some landowners offered soup or brandy in addition to the standard 750g of bread to encourage workers.
Soil Composition and Topography
Aÿ’s 300 hectares of vineyards formed an amphitheater-like stretch between Dizy in the west and Mareuil in the east. Most vineyards enjoyed southern exposure.
With the exception of the Deux-Moulins site—characterized by a steep incline—the Aÿ vineyard as a whole features gently sloping terrain, ideal for viticulture. The topsoil is a shallow calcareous-clay layer, which rests on a deeper stratum of clayey-sandy marl. This soil profile plays a critical role in the quality and longevity of Aÿ’s wines.
Chemical analysis of the arable layer reveals the following composition:
Calcium carbonate: 28.802%
Insoluble residue: 59.15%
Organic matter: 3.750%
Iron oxide: 4.545%
Magnesium: 1.401%
Alkaline salts: 0.985%
Aluminum: 0.849%
Phosphoric acid: 0.147%
Soluble silica: 0.095%
This unique mineral balance, particularly the high concentration of calcium carbonate and organic content, contributes to the vineyard's exceptional drainage, root penetration, and the mineral-driven profile of Aÿ’s sparkling wines.
The primary grape varieties cultivated were Plant doré and Plant vert doré.
Vineyard Plots
Top-ranking vineyard parcels included:
Charmont, Asniers, Les Blancs-Fossés, Les Droualles, Les Meunières, Cheuselles, Les Côtes, Bonnote, La Goutte-d'Or, Les Villers, Les Vauzelles, Le Terme, and Les Chaudes-Terres.
Second-tier sites were:
Pierre-Robert, Longchamps, Les Clos, Les Crayères, Les Croix, Les Valnons, Vaudreys, and Les Belles-Feuilles.
A. Jullien (1832) classified Aÿ’s vineyard parcels in detail, further confirming its reputation for excellence.
Map of Aÿ: Parcel classification according to A. Jullien (1832)
Wines of Distinction
In the early 1800s, yields in Aÿ averaged 25 hectolitres per hectare. Its wines were celebrated for their floral bouquet, finesse, and age-worthiness—maturing beautifully over four decades.
Aÿ was regarded as the finest vineyard along the Marne River. Its sparkling wines stood out for their lightness, soft mouthfeel, and subtle aroma. With lower alcohol than those from Sillery, Aÿ wines were highly valued in France for their “tonic and invigorating effects on the stomach.”
Aÿ holds a central place in the history and evolution of Champagne viticulture.
Its uniquely calcareous soils, ideal microclimate, and heritage vineyards created wines of international acclaim. The fortified structures, historical estates, and labor customs reveal how Aÿ adapted over centuries to both environmental and economic pressures.
Today, Aÿ remains a reference point in understanding the intricate balance between terroir, tradition, and winemaking history—an essential chapter in the story of Champagne.
Sources
J.B.A. Mennesson, L’observateur rural de la Marne, Épernay, 1806
A. Jullien, Topographie de tous les vignobles connus, Paris, 1832
M. Calmette, Histoire des Villes, Bourgs et Villages remarquables de la Marne, Reims, 1850
J.L. Plonquet, Essai sur la Topographie Médicale du Canton d’Ay, Paris, 1856, vol. II
V. Rendu, Ampélographie française, Paris, 1857
H. Vizetelly, A History of Champagne, London, 1882
C. Givelet-H. Jadart-L. Demaison, Répertoire Archéologique de l’Arrondissement de Reims, Neuvième Fascicule, Reims, 1892
Reims Epernay-Ay et la Region, Livrette-Guide, Paris, 1927
TAG: CHAMPAGNE, HISTORY, AŸ, SPARKLINGWINE, MAP, WINETRADE, TERROIR, VITICULTURE, WINE HERITAGE, CHAMPAGNE VINEYARDS GEOLOGY, CHAMPAGNE GRAPE VARIETIES, MARNE VALLEY WINE, HISTORIC CHAMPAGNE VILLAGES, SOIL PROFILE
View of Aÿ from the Marne Canal
(H. Vizetelly, A History of Champagne, London, 1882)
Aÿ by Mérian, 17th century
(A. Rossel, J. Vidal, Decouverte de la Champagne, Reims, 1972)
