While Reims and Epernay are lovely towns in the Champagne region, Ay is the real gem. A sleepy village with just a few restaurants is home to some really well-known brands including Bollinger and Billecart-Salmon, both of which we were lucky enough to visit. Recommended by Billecart was Le Clos Corbier, a small family-run hotel and champagne house of its own. The setting is idyllic and likely even more so in the summer with a lovely little pool situated among the gardens.



A family-style dining room hosts a daily breakfast included in the room rate. Servers are friendly and the bread and cheese are wonderful. The rest of the day, the room serves as an honesty bar with different types of champagne and the rogue beer or two.

The tasting room was well-booked and offers a pairing option with lunch. We did a quick tasting on the patio, but I would definitely have enjoyed a more formal one should we have had more time.

The room was small, but cozy, really all we needed for a quick weekend. It could have used a quick dusting of cobwebs, but we’ll say that was part of the charm.


The view was narrowly of the champagne fields and mostly of the rainy, moody weekend.

There was a small desk as well as a small rail for hanging. No safe or coffee accoutrements.

The bathroom was chilly, but the towel rack warmed things up quite a bit. It had all that was needed save for a bottle of lotion.

Le Clos Corbier was a lovely few days stay with extremely friendly staff. It feels like sleeping in a secret garden among some major champagne houses- a lucky find indeed.