Four new releases, including two new Champagnes from de Sousa
'Simply outstanding'
NV Mycorhize, Blanc de Blancs, Grand Cru, Extra Brut, De Sousa - £295 per 6 bottle case in bond NV Blanc de Noirs, Grand Cru, Brut Nature, De Sousa (LIMITED EDITION) - £240 per 6 bottle case in bond 2013 Cuvée des Caudalies, Grand Cru, Blanc de Blancs, Extra Brut, De Sousa - £725 per 6 bottle case in bond 2013 Cuvée des Caudalies, Le Mesnil, Grand Cru, Blanc de Blancs, Extra Brut, De Sousa - £725 per 6 bottle case in bond
If my discussions with clients are anything to go by, this offer would rank as one of the most eagerly awaited in our calendar. The Champagnes of De Sousa are avidly followed by our clients with several cuvées claiming something of a cult following, including the Mycorhize offered here.
I am also pleased to introduce two new wines and one new vintage of a familiar favourite, all of which we tasted on our visit to De Sousa last December. Production of these three additions is limited, so don’t delay if you are interested – the previous vintage Champagne offer from De Sousa sold out in a matter of hours, and while we take our full allocation, there is seldom enough to satisfy demand. These are simply outstanding Champagnes.
About De Sousa The De Sousa family (of Portuguese descent) have been in Avize in the heart of the Côte des Blancs for three generations. The house of De Sousa & Fils was founded in 1986 by the late Erick De Sousa and his wife Michelle, and today, it is run by their three children, Charlotte, Julie and Valentin. Their vineyards extend over 14 hectares (with 10 hectares owned by the family and 4 hectaresen fermage) across 13 villages and are divided into 93 plots. Many of Champagne’s most famous terroir feature in their holdings, including vineyards in the villages of Ambonnay and Aÿ for Pinot Noir, and the villages of Avize, Cramant, Chouilly, Le Mesnil sur Oger and Oger for Chardonnay.
The vast majority of their vines are low yielding, given they were planted more than 50 years ago, and they have cultivated their vineyards organically since 1989 though only sought certification in 2010. In 1999, De Sousa converted to biodynamic viticulture which, if anything, has lowered yields even further. You quickly get the impression that everything at De Sousa is about quality over quantity. Four hectares of vineyard now see no mechanisation and are ploughed by horse, meaning there is less soil compaction, helping to maintain microbial diversity which the De Sousas see as key in vines establishing deep roots where they can tap into trace minerals. The family are always intent on raising the quality bar. Central to their philosophy is a respect for nature and operating as naturally as possible. They are convinced that this delivers finer results and, based on the evidence of the quality in the bottle, who are we to argue? The quality at this estate continues to impress us greatly.
Many of these new wines and new releases haven’t yet been reviewed, so please see my comments on the composition of each Champagne and my tasting notes below. And if you are someone who needs to hear third party endorsements, William Kelley commented with regard to an earlier release, that De Sousa was‘a producer that deserves to be much better known among Anglophone wine lovers.’ Champagne critic, Peter Liem once commented that‘it’s no accident that De Sousa is found in many of France’s best restaurants’, which just so happens to be where I first encountered them over 10 years ago.
About the 2013 vintage And finally, a brief word on the 2013 vintage. It wasn’t the simplest of vintages, as the summer was comparatively cool by modern standards, which delayed harvest and resulted in wines with a more classical structure than we may encounter in a warmer year. September was bright and sunny and brought about admirable ripeness in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. As the wines from this vintage have come onto the market, and subsequently tasted, it has become apparent that these conditions have created a truly great set of Champagnes that reveal great balance, with Chardonnay most likely the strongest performer, but Pinot Noir not far behind.
NV Mycorhize, Blanc de Blancs, Grand Cru, Extra Brut, De Sousa £295 per 6 bottle case in bond
100% Chardonnay, Grand Cru, old vines, base wines aged in oak, based on 2018 vintage. 20% drawn from a solera.
Mycorhize always offers fine complexity – with notes of freshly-baked patisserie on the nose, as well as hints of white flowers and vanilla pod. It is the sense of luxuriance that this Champagne conveys that really impresses, with a beautifully cushioned mousse and a softly-layered fruit of juicy orchard fruits, both pear and apple. Wonderfully harmonious and exuding considerable finesse, there is a gently smoky, chalky mineral nuance that emerges to the finish, which is laced with a distinct tangy, almost citrus fruit. Persistent and pure, this Champagne is gaining in complexity as the solera continues to age. Stunning. (SL) Drink 2024-2034
NV Blanc de Noirs, Grand Cru, Brut Nature, De Sousa (LIMITED EDITION) £240 per 6 bottle case in bond
100% Pinot Noir, Grand Cru fruit from Ambonnay, based on 2018 vintage. Base wine aged in oak for 10 months, then aged for 42 months on lees in bottle. Disgorged in March 2023. Just 830 cases produced.
This new cuvée showcases the Ambonnay terroir in some style. Beautifully pure with hints of red plum, mint, lees and a chalky quality expressed on both nose and palate. It is just so well-expressed, with an overriding sense of harmony. A subtle roundness from the use of oak on the base wine lends to the completeness of this outstanding NV cuvée. Expressive, intense, elegant with enticing red fruit hints and a deceptively long finish. A very welcome addition indeed. (SL) Drink 2024-2029
2013 Cuvée des Caudalies, Grand Cru, Blanc de Blancs, Extra Brut, De Sousa £725 per 6 bottle case in bond
100% Chardonnay, Grand Cru blend from Avize, Oger and Le Mesnil, old vines of more than 50 years age, base wine aged in oak. 4g/l dosage
The first of two 2013 vintage Blanc de Blancs. The aromas capture notes of patisserie, and juicy ripe fruit with notes of smoke and mineral. The candied citrus fruit notes on the palate, touches of chamomile and creamy vanilla add plenty of complexity to a palate that picks up just a hint of exotic fruit that renders it utterly compelling. Baked pineapple registered in my tasting note. This is such a juicy, mouth-filling, intense Blanc de Blancs with a moreish quality that it is likely to appeal in its youth. A beautiful Champagne with plenty of character and persistence. (SL) Drink 2024-2030
2013 Cuvée des Caudalies, Le Mesnil, Grand Cru, Blanc de Blancs, Extra Brut, De Sousa £725 per 6 bottle case in bond
100% Chardonnay, Grand Cru specifically from Le Mesnil, old vines, base wine aged in oak, 4g/l dosage.
The De Sousas opted to showcase the fruit from a parcel in Le Mesnil separately, and what a great choice that was. Revealing a more tensile structure than the 2013 Caudalies, this cuvee took a little time to open out in the glass. The aromas are more smoky, chalky mineral yet there is a juicy, almost citrussy fruit behind. The tangy persistence of this cuvée is captivating – it has a tautness and energy that suggests this more linear style will benefit from a little patience in bottle. With air, notes of creamy vanilla and freshly baked bread emerged, but it continues to reveal terrific delineation and clarity. This is without doubt a stunning Champagne. A gem. (SL) Drink 2026 -2033+
So, there you go, four outstanding Champagnes from De Sousa. Please let us know of your interest.
Yesterday evening, we were delighted to host a special tasting and dinner at Enoteca Turi in Sloane Square with Santiago Marone Cinzano, winemaker at Col d'Orcia, showcasing a range of vintages of their highly regarded single vineyard wine, the Poggio Al Vento Brunello di Montalcino Riserva.
Atlas' Managing Director Simon Larkin MW comments, 'yesterday’s Poggio Al Vento tasting and dinner highlighted just how impressive Col d’Orcia’s single vineyard Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is. We were fortunate to be joined by Santiago Marone Cinzano, the 10th generation of winemaker, and were guided through a vertical tasting of vintages spanning 2012 to 1995. While each vintage impressed in different ways, the overall consistency was outstanding. Some vintages showed greater capacity for ageing than others, but the consensus suggested that in a great vintage, this wine is capable of ageing for 20-30 years with ease. Indeed, the 1995 and 1999 showed no signs of fading and continued to blossom in the glass long after being first poured from a double decanted bottle – quite astonishing from a couple of wines aged 29 and 25 years of age respectively.
The 2004 and 2006 vintages were certainly drinking beautifully, showing stunning ripe fruit, complex tertiary notes but equally a fine freshness that belies their age. These two vintages promise to deliver even greater complexity over time. The 2012 was comfortably the most forward drinking of the flight, showing a redder fruit character and appealing silkiness on its supple palate. The 2008, an altogether more dense and powerful wine with darker, liquorice nuances in the fruit profile, was well into its drinking window yet showed no signs of fading soon. The entire range underlined the fact that Col d’Orcia craft outstanding, traditional Brunello with a great potential for ageing.
As I commented at the tasting, much is made of early pronouncements of greatness these days, but proof of true greatness is only confirmed with bottle age. A number of the wines we showed yesterday easily justified the term ‘great’; it was fascinating to taste a vertical of such a fine Brunello. While Poggio al Vento may not be as well-known as some Riservas, it is our opinion that it ranks alongside the very best examples from Montalcino.'
The tasting featured a line-up of the following wines:
Tenuta Col d’Orcia Rosso di Montalcino 2013 (en magnum)
Tenuta Col d’Orcia Poggio al Vento, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG 2012
Tenuta Col d’Orcia Poggio al Vento, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG 2008
Tenuta Col d’Orcia Poggio al Vento, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG 2006
Tenuta Col d’Orcia Poggio al Vento, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG 2004
Tenuta Col d’Orcia Poggio al Vento, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG 1999
Tenuta Col d’Orcia Poggio al Vento, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG 1995
The Bordeaux en Primeur campaign is underway, and has started in quick form this year. I was still slurping my way through a range of samples at a negociant’s offices in Bordeaux when the first releases were made. Making it a snappier, quicker campaign will be welcomed by the entire trade.
Another welcome sign has been the reductions in price over last year. In recent years, Bordeaux pricing has escalated to such a level that it is invariably more expensive to buy en Primeur than it is to pick up a back vintage from a merchant’s list. You might recall my first write up on Bordeaux this year, where I commented that the aim of en Primeur is to provide beneficial cash flow for the châteaux, a margin for both the negociants and their wine merchant clients, and an appealing price to the end consumer. This doesn’t always transpire, and often wines are priced right on the cusp of fair value, or just over. Invariably, when prices are dropped, the accompanying volume is often restrained by the Châteaux, who hold it back to release at a higher price once it is bottled. This allows the masses of journalists to write about headline price reductions but doesn’t ‘cost’ that much. Fortunately, this year, the volumes released seem to be reasonably good, so the economic backdrop is shaping decisions. We have seen estates like Léoville-Las Cases reduce their price by 47% over the 2022, for example. But as one contact of mine put it, you need to have increased your price fairly dramatically over a period of years to countenance such a move. That said, reductions of 20-40% have been welcomed and at least have generated some interest from consumers, who perhaps were feeling like they were on a treadmill of ever-increasing prices. Obviously, Châteaux that are already more moderately priced, or those that hadn’t pushed hard to elevate their prices, will not have the same scope to cut by 40%, but some of the bigger players have. It has been commented in the wine press that Bordeaux is at some form of crossroads; the appeal of en Primeur doesn’t entirely resonate with a younger audience and there is a lot of wine ‘stuck’ in the system, whether it be burgeoning stock levels with merchants or with negociants. The wine market in general needs to draw in younger consumers, and the traditional approach of en Primeur – buying early and storing for a decade or more even when the price is not necessarily advantageous – doesn’t have a lot to offer as an attraction. Acknowledging this backdrop, Bordeaux could have done more this vintage to make it a complete success, but perhaps lessons are learned in phases rather than in one rather sobering hit.
As ever, much has been written about the new vintage. Reading through and comparing the write-ups of different critics has been particularly interesting this year as they are more divergent on the merits of individual wines than we have noted in a while. One may be championing the qualities of a specific wine, while another’s words suggest they were relatively non-plussed, or are, at least, nowhere near as effusive. I think this speaks to the nature of the 2023 vintage; to my mind there is a raft of good to very good wines, wines with which it is difficult to find obvious fault, but where it is equally tricky to focus on outstanding qualities. That is not to do this vintage down, as I found many appealing wines, but I do not believe that it is an homogenous success nor do I believe it has delivered many epic or potentially legendary wines outside of 10-12 significant successes. I don’t score wines, but I would expect a good number to fall in the 93-96 category on anyone’s 100 points scale.
So, should you buy? We have dealt with the issue of fair value already, but in terms of the qualities of the vintage, the conditions in 2023 have delivered fresh, well-balanced wines with lower alcohol levels than we have witnessed in many recent ‘solar’ Bordeaux vintages. They have a supple appeal; my notes are littered with words like ‘fluidity’, ‘lithe’, ‘mineral drive’, ‘streamlined’, ‘agile’, ‘graceful’ and ‘supple’. This isn’t a vintage that has delivered bold, concentrated wines with a tight block of fruit that will need 15 years to unfurl. It lends itself to being broached earlier than most recent vintages, yet the best of the wines, and the majority, aren’t diffuse either. Despite the well-documented heat in 2023, it was not a solar vintage – that is a handy way to categorise it; it was not a year of continuous blazing sunshine. In recent years we have grown accustomed to hot, dry Bordeaux vintages where the vines suffer to a lesser or greater extent from hydric stress – think 2022, 2020, 2018 for example. We have had very few vintages in the last decade where the growing season has been punctuated by periods of regular rain. Invariably the model has been that winter should replenish the groundwater levels sufficiently to equip the vine with the ability to survive a hot, dry summer. 2023 was different. Equally, when needed, 2023 provided periods when the temperature spiked, which served to build greater ripeness and concentration. These could not be considered heatwaves, as they were not that prolonged, but they served to accelerate the berries towards full phenolic ripeness, giving the resultant wines a touch more density than you might expect in a ‘fluid’ vintage. I talked to a lot of winemakers about crop and berry size; yields were higher than the norm on account both of more berries, due to a very homogenous, efficient flowering, and of greater berry size, meaning more juice in each berry, on account of the more readily available moisture. A couple of commentators have talked about acidity, and yet I do not find the acidities in 2023 to be notably elevated above the levels encountered last year, though they are not offset by the same density of fruit. In many instances, the pHs in 2023 are almost identical to those of 2022. The key point of difference, and the one that has shaped the vintage and reduced the alcohol levels, is dilution. This word need not be pejorative; in many wine regions that I visit the question of yield is being debated. In a bygone age when sunny, hot vintages did not dominate, leaf plucking (exposing the fruit to the sun) and green harvest (reducing the crop so the vine focuses on ripening a lower volume) were de rigueur. Now, with markedly different conditions, there is a broader recognition that higher yields and a higher juice to skin ratio ease the density of the wine, can lead to lower alcohol and allow the winemaker to achieve balance in the wine more easily. The skins today are so rich in phenolics and fruit compounds that the presence of more juice allows you to extend the period of maceration (some winemakers cited this in the 2023 approach). This does not mean that diffuse wines result. If you had a much lower level of ripeness, with thinner skins, then dilution would be an issue in a negative sense and weedy wines would result. In 2023, there is more wine, yields are more generous and that attribute that I looked to describe with a whole host of synonyms in my tasting notes is key to the vintage.
Many merchants and critics have commented on the ‘transparency’ of the vintage. That is a fair comment, but it once more relates to the point on dilution. When you have a densely ripe wine like a number of the 2022s, the signatures of an individual vineyard’s terroir are very often masked in its youth. Terroir then starts to assert as the puppy fat falls away with maturity. Think 1989 or 2009 – both these years showed less evident sense of terroir in their youth and, in fact, many 2009s still have some way to go in their evolution before these signatures start to appear more clearly. In contrast, a vintage like 2014 had this clarity at an early stage. Such vintages were easier to taste young; the fruit was less copious and the vineyard character traits were more easy to read from one wine to the next. I think 2023 is far more successful than 2014, as the latter has a perkier acidity that may take some time to tame, and certainly that vintage did not benefit from the same boost to density that was brought about by the heat spikes in the run up to the 2023 harvest. Comparing such a vintage to previous years is really a mug’s game. I am not trying to argue that 2023 is like this vintage or that, but do believe it is worth highlighting that it has traits of cooler years, even though it was by no means a cool year, and traits of bolder vintages without being bold. All of this, coupled with that supple accent, render it a very appealing vintage and one which should chime with the canny buyer, who simply buys for future consumption as opposed to investment. Of course, speculators will be drawn to several outstanding wines that register as notable high points in this vintage and whose qualities can readily be compared to outstanding young vintages of the past, but I see 2023 as a vintage for the drinker, and I do not believe that the usual patience will be required to quite the same extent before the charms of the 2023 vintage can be enjoyed from bottle.
As ever, the trade is keen to make this vintage work. It is completely understandable given that the fine wine market has lacked direction for this last 12 months. It has been a quiet period for the market on the back of high interest rates and the general global economic backdrop. This has given rise to the usual hyperbole and we have seen some bizarre comments and scores. My advice to anyone interested in buying Bordeaux 2023 is simple: cut through the nonsense, consider whether the style of the vintage that I have described is one that appeals, and do not hesitate to ask us any questions about specific wines that catch your eye. I do think there are a number of bargains to be had this year if you are looking for Bordeaux that you could drink earlier and that represent more of a classically-balanced style, even if the conditions that brought that style about are markedly different. The trade will no doubt debate the reductions witnessed on various wines, and whether the reductions are enough to bring about easy sales and to add some form of a draw to the slightly flagging en Primeur market. We will see how these things play out. In the meantime, at Atlas, we will continue to highlight wines that impressed us and where we believe the price is favourable. The decision is yours, but we remain on hand to advise as and when you need it.
I opened by saying that the 2023 Bordeaux en Primeur campaign started quickly. It is now taking a pause for French May Bank Holidays and will resume in earnest next week with the goal of releasing most wines before Bordeaux decamps to Hong Kong for Vinexpo Asia from 28th to 30th May.
Read our exclusive Bordeaux En Primeur 2023 Pre-Report
The Bordeaux En Primeur season is upon us and two of our team have just returned from the UGC tastings and a series of independent chateau visits. On Monday, three more of us head out to taste – this time focusing largely on the Right Bank. Our Vintage Report will follow shortly, but it suffices to say that 2023 has the makings of very good vintage. Recent Bordeaux vintages may be showing a progression towards hot and dry conditions, but 2023 was a vintage where the growing season received regular intervals of rain, and not in dramatic amounts. This has boosted berry size and thereby eased concentration back from the 2022 level, where rich wines were more the norm, with relatively significant alcohol levels. Conversely, the best of 2023 show fine balance, good freshness, and more moderate levels of alcohol. Winemakers were able to carry out lengthier macerations as the juice to skin ratio was higher on account of a larger berry size – when the vines are subject to increased hydric stress clearly resultant berry size is smaller. With lower alcohol and more juice, winemakers did not have quite the same concerns about over-extracting as they had last year. Despite vastly different vintage conditions to back in the day, it is more of a throwback vintage, more classically styled than the heat summation data might lead you to believe. It begs the question that, if conditions are moving towards the hot and dry end of the spectrum in general, how many such years where the season is punctuated by adequate rainfall are we likely to witness in a decade? One could be forgiven for thinking that such years are likely to prove to be the anomaly as opposed to the norm. Our impression of the 2023s, largely based on our sampling of the Left Bank, leads us to believe there are a range of impressive, appealing Cabernet dominant wines that show good volume of fruit and fine natures, with good balancing acidities. The big question concerns price – 2023 could be a successful vintage for the region, if release prices are well-judged. All in all, 2023 maybe a welcome surprise, even if it does not register as one of thee more dramatic vintages of recent times. As ever, we will make our recommendations to you, based on quality and value, in our stream of regular offers. Atlas has always remained selective in its approach to Bordeaux en primeur, rather than opting to offer every single release far and wide as most of the trade does. We do however have availability of more wines than those we choose to endorse; for which you will be able to register your interest.
A word on pricing The aim of Bordeaux’s En Primeur system is to allow the sale of the wine, on paper, two years before it is bottled. When the system works well it provides beneficial cash flow for the chateaux, a margin for the negociants and their wine merchant clients, and allegedly an appealing price for the end consumer. Release pricing used to be influenced by the negociants and the courtiers (the agents between the negociants and the chateaux), but all that changed in the early 1980s when demand for the wines started to build and the chateaux assumed far greater control, now absolute control, over price setting. Negociants find themselves in a position where they are obliged to buy, even if they don’t agree with the price, as if they opt out one year, they will lose their allocations in the subsequent year. What does this interesting background have to do with the 2023 Bordeaux en primeur offer? Well, I think it is in the balance this year. 2023 is a good vintage overall, rather than exceptional, though, as always, the generalised view masks the notable successes that push above the average quality. We are told the Bordelais Chateaux owners are aware of the economic backdrop, the fact that en primeur has perhaps lost some of the limelight in recent years, and the fact that the fine wine market is feeling a little flat right now. We are told we can expect significant reductions on last year’s levels. But what kind of reduction might be required to fully resuscitate the patient? There has been plenty of discussion in the market about reductions in the realm of 30-40% on average. If that were to transpire, I think it would be a good sign that the decision-makers in Bordeaux do not exist in some parallel universe, and it should lead to clients who perhaps have hung back on the sidelines during en primeur season to enter the fray once more. The last time I can recall such a significant reduction in release pricing was the 2008 vintage, which served to re-engage the market and led to a far better campaign than many envisaged at the outset. The sad reality of Bordeaux en primeur is it becomes a discussion of price above almost everything else. The system of selling has led to this as it was supposed to deliver benefit down the chain from chateaux to consumer, but it hasn’t always transpired that way. The hiatus of 2009 and 2010 left many people who purchased high and dry, many still holding stocks that are underwater today. If the Bordelais get the pricing ‘right’, then perhaps the conversation will return to the relative merits of the wines themselves. Either way, we won’t have to wait long as one lesson that appears to have been learned is not to protract the period of releases. We already know that the release schedule will commence in earnest as early as Tuesday or Wednesday next week and expect a quickfire campaign condensed into three to four weeks rather than the usual drawn out affair with the last releases emerging as everyone starts to disappear on summer holidays.
Our Vintage Report will be sent to you next week which will provide further information on forthcoming Bordeaux releases.