De Sousa

De Sousa is a Maison that holds the secrets for the production of a particular champagne, one made without haste. Erick de Sousa looks after his bottles as if they were his children. Going from one room to another in the cellar is like taking a historical-tourist tour of the homeland of Champagne. Every vintage, every type, every vine has its own little niche in which it rests waiting to be tasted. The oenological research in the field of soils, vines and blends has borne fruit, managing to give champagnes that today are sought after all over the world precisely for this explosion of extreme territoriality. In technical terms, it means that the methods of managing the vineyard and cellar have been developed in order to obtain a unique product, identifying the parcel on which it is produced. The history of Domaine De Sousa begins when Manuel de Sousa, at the end of the First World War, settled in Avize and started a family. Subsequently his son married the daughter of a winemaker, giving rise to Maison De Sousa. Erick, the current owner, took the reins of the company in 1986 and thanks to his intuition he managed to make an important turning point. The ownership of the vineyards for the production of De Sousa white grapes wind through the Grand Crus of Avize, Oger, Cramant, Le Mesnil on Oger. The rest of the vineyards are located in Ambonnay and Aÿ, an area suited to the production of Pinot Noir. Therefore, all the company's vineyards fall into the best area, the Gran Cru and their management is meticulous and particular. The vines have an average age of 70 years and this means that the roots sink up to 30-40 meters into the ground. This characteristic helps to give greater stability and nourishment to the plant. Biodynamic agriculture is the basis of production. The use of the horse instead of the tractor to plow the clods of the vineyards is unique. The explanation lies in the fact that the tractor creates too much pressure on the ground, taking away the breathing space of the root. Precious minerals are found deep in the soil and the grapes that will give champagne of a high quality level benefit from them. Spectacular!