Champagne De Sousa - Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Réserve

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

Ethereal bouquet of ripe fruit. Creamy, long finish that exceeds the promise of the nose. Greedy, appetizing style, lacking a little bounce on the finish. Good entry-level wine.

About the domain :

Érick de Sousa is a highly talented winemaker, who has been working on the family estate since 1986, ten hectares in the Côte des Blancs region that have been biodynamically farmed for over twenty years. Uncompromising and meticulous, he forges a range of scintillating wines with pure, nuanced expression, playing on the terroirs of Avize, Cramant, Oger and Le Mesnil, planted with chardonnay, with some pinot noir from Aÿ and Ambonnay, and a little meunier. The result is a very wide range of champagnes, different in approach but with a family link in smooth texture and aromatic originality, enhanced by very fine wood ageing. From this point of view, cuvée 3A is representative of this irresistible slide, as is the remarkable cuvée mycorhize, not forgetting cuvée caudalie, which over the years has become inseparable from the house and its standard-bearer. As for the vintage, the 2008 holds its own, while the 2010 surprises with its fresh balance in a year reputed to be supple. If the nose can sometimes surprise, it's on the palate that you discover the stylistic charm of this house with an established reputation.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

From Avize, Oger and Cramant, Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut Réserve boasts an invigorating lemony color and a bouquet of fresh, intense, chalky Chardonnay that indicates concentration, depth and tension. Pure and linear on the palate, it is well structured and mineral; a straightforward yet very fine and elegant Brut with a stimulating mineral finish that also reveals concentrated, juicy fruit flavors. The aftertaste is complex and expressive. [...]

About the domain :

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

The richness and strength of the estate's ripe Chardonnays are reflected in the brut Réserve, a winter champagne with a clean, precise bubble.

About the domain :

The estate, run by the new generation, brilliantly continues the work of the late Eric de Sousa. Charlotte is in charge of sales, Julie is in charge of the vines and the horses, and Valentin is in charge of the cellar. The estate comprises 14 hectares of vines, mainly Chardonnays from the Avize Grand Cru, as well as Pinot Noir from the Aÿ and Ambonnay Grands Crus. Certified organic in 2010 and biodynamic in 2013, the estate also boasts vines of advanced age. The controlled management of ageing in wood underlines the magnificent substance of the wines.

James Suckling

About the wine:

Attractive lemons and yellow nectarines on the nose with an expressive, complex style. The palate is so fleshy and appealing, offering a big, savory impression of peach and lemon with a hint of grapefruit, and the finish saline.