Winemaker Notes
The vinosity of the wine on the nose is echoed on the palate by the presence of Pinot Noir, which lends a velvety, unctuous smoothness to the finesse, freshness, and minerality of the Chardonnay.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Plenty of elegance due to filigreed aromas of tarte tatin, almost vinous strawberries and red fruit, lemon-zest freshness and buttery depth. Some minerals. Medium-bodied, it shines with creaminess, very citrusy acidity with essential oils and a buttery finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The NV Champagne Grand Cru 3A Extra Brut is composed of 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir from the three villages, all of which was picked on the same day. It features a 3-gram sugar dosage and a more gastronomic style and approach to the wine. I really love the nose of this one: it's a blend of pretty red strawberries, fresh apricot, light smoky earth, toast, and a hint of perfume. Medium to full-bodied, it’s round and fills the palate, offering ripe red fruit and apricot notes, a fine, pillowy mousse, and a clean, fruity finish, where the stone fruit shines. It’s zesty and fresh but also ripe. With fluidity and lovely energy, it’s very well-balanced and a very strong wine for De Sousa in this vintage.
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Wine Enthusiast
Based on grand cru fruit from Aÿ, Avize and Ambonnay (3 As), this wine is a structured blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It feels complete, densely textured, full of ripe apples and peaches, with a dryness that is balanced by the ripeness of the biodynamic fruit. Drink the bottling now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Based on the 2015 vintage and disgorged in April 2019, the NV Extra-Brut 3A Aÿ Avize Ambonnay is very pretty, offering up aromas of citrus oil, fresh bread, crisp stone fruit and beeswax. Full-bodied, broad shouldered and incisive, it's concentrated and vinous, with a racy spine of acidity and a pretty pinpoint mousse. This vibrant Champagne is one of the more tightly wound cuvées in the range, and it will show even better after a few more years on cork. Rating : 92+
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The Champagne De Sousa 3A Brut is active and persistent on the palate and shows a soft alluring touch in the finish. TASTING NOTES: This wine shines with aromas and flavors of tart apples and chalk. Pair it with a savory oyster stew. (Tasted: November 8, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
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Decanter
Mature notes of reserve wines on the nose. Lovely dark chocolate, butter almond and creamy flavours; long and impressive finish.
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’