De Sousa Avec Le Temps Blanc de Blancs NV

De Sousa Avec Le Temps Blanc de Blancs NV

They deserve to be better known among Anglophone wine lovers.
William Kelley

De Sousa, Avec Le Temps, Blanc de Blancs NV 

£170 per 6 bottle case in bond

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Over the weekend I enjoyed a bottle of De Sousa’s Avec Le Temps, Blanc de Blancs and was surprised to find myself surprised! I cannot recall ever not having enjoyed a glass of De Sousa – whether their Tradition, 3A, Mycorhize, Umami, Caudalies… This almost eternally under the radar Champagne house, based in the Grand Cru village of Avize, delivers at every level and continues to offer incredible value for what you get in the glass.

We have worked directly with De Sousa since the earliest days of Atlas and, as a result, I imagine many of you probably already share our view. We do struggle to understand why anyone would pay not just the same, but too often more, for a lesser Champagne, made in near industrial quantities, sourced from at best Premier rather than entirely Grand Cru vineyards, when such great grower Champagnes as De Sousa exist.

Julie, Valentin and Charlotte are the current generation the De Sousa family in charge. The family has been in Avize since just after the First World War but the Champagne house was founded in 1986 by Erick and Michelle. The scale is modest. They have 14 hectares across 42 different vineyard parcels in the villages of Avize, Aÿ, Cramant, Chouilly, Le Mesnil sur Oger and Oger. They have cultivated their vineyards organically since 1989 and in 1999 converted to biodynamic viticulture. Everything at De Sousa is about quality over quantity.

The Avec Le Temps is such a beautifully pure, pristine, crystalline champagne. It has a seamless, silky quality and such pleasurable drinkability. 

And, as I experienced, it is drinking very well.

De Sousa, Avec Le Temps, Blanc de Blancs NV
£170 per 6 bottle case in bond

The Avec Le Temps is a relatively new addition to the de Sousa stable, a Blanc de Blancs from the Grand Cru villages of Avize and Oger, sourced from vines with an average age of 40 years. This is vinified in tank and with low dosage (5g/L).

Offering creamy, patisserie aromas as well as notes of white flowers, there is nothing to mask the purity and freshness of this Blanc de Blancs. A period of lees ageing adds complexity and a subtle textural richness, but the overwhelming impression remains one of refinement and elegance. A stylish, harmonious Champagne, just as we have come to expect of de Sousa, this reveals lemon zest and toasted brioche notes on the finish, all underscored by a chalky minerality. A welcome addition to an already impressive stable of wines. Drink: Now until 2028

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