Champagne de Sousa, Cuvée des Caudalies, Grand Cru, Extra Brut 2013 6x75cl

The house of De Sousa & Fils was founded in 1986 by the late Erick De Sousa and his wife Michelle. The De Sousa family, of Portuguese descent, have been making Champagne in Avize in the heart of the Côte des Blancs for three generations. Today, the estate 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 hectares en 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 further lowered yields yet saw an increase in quality. At De Sousa, the ethos is quality over quantity, and they are always intent on raising the quality bar. Four hectares of vineyard see no mechanisation and are ploughed by horse, meaning there is less soil compaction, helping to maintain microbial diversity, which the family sees as vital for vines to establish deep roots where they can source trace minerals. 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.