Champagne De Sousa, Brut Reserve Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs NV

Vigneron and paterfamilias Erick de Sousa is the third generation of his family to run this small, family Champagne House, based in the�he Grand Cru village of Avize in the C�te Des Blancs.� He has 9.2 hectares under vine, around the Grand Cru village of Avize (including old vine plots in Oger, Cramant, and Chouilly), in the Montagne de Reims (Ay and Ambonnay) and finally a small holding in the Vall�e De La Marne (Mardeuil). Erick is now joined by his children in running the House - their vineyards are farmed biodynamically; some vines are over 80 years old. Late ripening and extensive aging on the lees contributes to the impressive length and richness of the champages.�The key features of this Champagne House are old-vine cultivation (the vineyards are ploughed by horse and the oldest vines date back to 1932), extensive lees ageing, full malolactic fermentation and the aging of reserve wines in wood.�The De Sousa philosophy adheres to late ripening, allowing the vines to benefit from the mineral rich soils (potassium/magnesium) and to develop palate profiles that are both rich and pure, with most impressive length evidenced across the Champagne range.