Taken alone, any aspect of today’s wine would make it an anomaly in the Champagne landscape. Biodynamic farming? Exceedingly uncommon, yet De Sousa’s been practicing it for 20+ years. Vine holdings that are largely over 45 years old? Hard to come by in a region where young, high-yielding raw material dominates. A modest $52 price tag? Well below most elite growers’ cost of entry. Put them all together, and Champagne De Sousa’s Brut Tradition starts to look like a rare bird indeed.
And yes, they are most definitely elite: There’s a reason Erick De Sousa has been hailed as one of Champagne most iconic winemakers and viticulturists by various French publications, or that his wines can be found lining the lists of top restaurants—these are richly layered, terroir-expressive treasures that deliver incredible value!
In a region where the viticultural practices of the best-known producers are rarely discussed, De Sousa’s fierce commitment to organic and biodynamic farming is a welcome relief. Imagine it: some of the most prized and brutally expensive farmland in the entire world, tended to by over 19,000 growers, and fewer than 100 of them are Certified Organic. But De Sousa was one of the first, converting in 1989, just three years after Erick took over. Conversion to biodynamics followed 10 years later, and to this day Erick still plows his nine hectares by horse. His old vines—more than three-quarters over 45 years, with some as old as 75—plunge their roots deep, often thirty feet, into the bedrock below.
About that bedrock: this is the famed chalk soil of the Côte des Blancs. The De Sousas’ home is the Grand Cru village of Avize, where they call Champagne legends like Pascal Agrapart and Jacques Selosse neighbors. The Côte des Blancs sits shoulder to shoulder with Burgundy’s Chablis and Côte de Beaune as some of the most revered acreage on the planet for Chardonnay. Avize’s chalk imbues the Chardonnay-based Brut Tradition with a driving mineral core that supports a level of ripeness few other growers achieve, along with Pinots Noir and Meunier from their “supporting cast” parcels in Vallée de la Marne and Côte des Bar.
The De Sousa style is all about a marriage between richness and elegance. In the cellar, Erick De Sousa works similarly to the best Chardonnay-focused Burgundians. Fruit is harvested at full ripeness, then fermented spontaneously in steel, although his oldest vines see French barrels. Malolactic occurs in all wines, enhancing the sense of weight and power. Peter Liem, perhaps the most respected English-speaking Champagne writer, singles them out as “...bold, assertive and rich, while also demonstrating a marked complexity and finesse...the refined demeanor of the wines seems to naturally complement the sophistication of haute cuisine.” Haute cuisine richness and complexity at this price? We’ll take it!
“Tradition” is a blend of 50% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, and 10% Pinot Meunier that brilliantly walks the tightrope between density and freshness. In the glass, it’s a shimmering straw-yellow hue. The nose explodes with ripe citrus fruits, red apple, lees, a hint of pink florals, and even a touch of red cherry. The palate is sappy yet focused: medium-full, with classic, toasty brioche notes coming to the fore, the bright citrus returning before a stony, mineral finish. To best experience the nuances of this bottle, serve in all-purpose stems at around 45-50 degrees. Simple pan-fried scallops with a lemon-butter sauce would be a dream with this, but the Chardonnay richness also makes me crave roast chicken. Whether you enjoy it on its own or with a meal lovingly toiled over for hours, this is a thrilling bottle of carefully crafted Champagne for an outrageous price. Stock up!
