Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Fresh sourdough, lemon, white peach and salted butter on the nose, followed by a creamy, very fresh and salty palate. Fine, creamy bubbles. Dry and saline finish. 100% chardonnay from Cramant, Avize, Oger and Mesnil-sur-Oger. Based on 2019, with 20% reserve wine. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The Champagne de Sousa Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Réserve is persistent and dramatic. TASTING NOTES: This wine excels with aromas and flavors of chalk, mineral, and tart fruit. Enjoy it with grilled jumbo prawns in a cream sauce. (Tasted: November 8, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Disgorged in April 2019 and based on the 2016 vintage, De Sousa's NV Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Réserve is performing well, offering up aromas of crisp yellow orchard fruit, citrus oil, freshly baked bread, dried white flowers and yeast extract. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and charming, with racy acids, fine depth at the core and a pretty pinpoint mousse, it has turned out very well.
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Decanter
Orchard fruit, menthol, pear and white pepper scents offer up a lovely energetic and elegant bouquet. The palate is vinous and fleshy in texture, with well-managed acidity and a chalky, mineral finish. The grapes come mainly from Avize, with the balance from Cramant and Oger. 100% Chardonnay with a dosage of 6g/l.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Based on the 2019 vintage, with some reserve wine from 2017 and 2018 (no more than 20%), the NV Champagne Grand Cru Reserve Blanc De Blancs Extra Brut is 100% Chardonnay fermented in stainless steel for a fresher style as an aperitif. Pouring a bright straw color, the aromatics open to notes of fresh pear, quince, lime, and a light floral and creamy profile. Medium-bodied and focused, it’s zippy on the palate, with notes of fresh ripe green apple, a spritely mousse, and a clean, chalky finish. Pure and tension-driven, it’s a very fresh and vibrant style to enjoy over the next 5-6 years.
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.’