De Sousa 'Chemins des Terroirs' Brut NV Champagne

You are looking at a belnd of 50% Chardonnay, 30% pinot noir and 20% pinot meunier coming from excellent sites across Avize, Oger, Grauves and Cumieres. Most of De Sousa wines are certified Organic and 'Chemins des Terroirs' is a part of the estate that is in conversion to Organic. As with all De Sousa wines, they have careful consideration to their soil and manual handling of grapes at harvest.

The De Sousa family are based in the Grand Cru village of Avize in the Côte Des Blancs. Father and Vigneron Erick De Sousa has a Portuguese background and practices Biodynamic viticulture. The family runs just over 9 hectares, most of which in Avize but also in the Montagne de Reims and Ambonnay, also a small vineyard in the Marne Valley - Mardeuil. The main characteristics of De Sousa Champagne are; *'Vieilles Vignes' or old-vine viticulture. *The vineyards are ploughed traditionally by horse and some of the oldest vines go back to the early 1930's. *Full malolactic fermentation. *Extended lees ageing. *Ageing of reserve wines in barrel. Ericks' winemaking philosophy supports later ripening which allows the vines to benefit from the mineral-rich soils. This interaction enables the champagne to develop a palate profile that has abundance and purity and in our view, a remarkable length and finish compared to many other champagnes.

Coming from several Grand & Premier Cru parcels with 40% reserve wines added. This is Extra Brut at 5 g/L. This remains unfined and unfiltered so a small deposit may occur. Disgorged: 22 / 11 / 21

An antipasto board primarily with fresh cuts like salami and proscuitto plus some soft cheese. I personally like it with some crispy fish and chips with a little tartare sauce and fresh lemon.