The wines undergo lengthy ageing in Mailly's cellars which were hand-dug into the chalk by the vignerons themselves, over thirty years, from 1929; a project of the company's first president, Gabriel Simon, formerly an engineer constructing trenches during the Great War.

Today, 80 growers farm the village's 70 hectares of vines, owned by 25 families. The average holding is less than 1 hectare. Most growers have day jobs, so tending their vines with great care is a passion, resulting in high-quality fruit. Mailly is tiny in size compared to the larger houses but has more grand crus vines than most of them. Pinot Noir is a speciality here and the Brut Reserve is composed of 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay.

With the vines on mostly north-facing slopes, Mailly's wines exhibit a mineral, saline character and are full of freshness and energy, in contrast to the more oxidative style of houses like Bollinger. Even for older vintage wines, our tasting notes mention less about character derived from lees-ageing (brioche, biscuits, etc) and more about perfect, ripe fruits with remarkable freshness.