What a fascinating and fulfilling path to take when you arrive from the horrors of war; in a profession where you can bring bliss to people's faces with your products. Manuel de Sousa, a native of Portugal, followed exactly this path when he fought on the side of the Allies in the trenches of Verdun, then settled in the magnificent village of Avize in Champagne, surrounded by the best Champagne terroir, and founded the De Sousa Champagne House in 1950.
Erick de Sousa took over the direction of the vineyard and cellar in 1986, ushering in a new era with the conversion to biodynamic viticulture, and since 1999 the winery has been definitively Demeter certified. He then resisted the lure of constant growth, which in not a few cases comes at the expense of quality.
With 9.5 hectares, the Champagne house still embodies what in Champagne would be called a boutique winery; two hectares are even farmed very carefully by horse and rider. The grapes for De Sousa's champagnes come from vines that are on average over 45 years old, by no means a matter of course in Champagne, because yields also decline with age. However, since these vines are deeply rooted in the soil and they better reflect the terroir. Over 70 percent of the parcels are located in Grand Cru sites around Avize and are planted with Chardonnay, with the exception of half a hectare of Pinot Meunier, the rest is dedicated to Pinot Noir. The base wines are mostly aged in steel tanks, but new wood has been used to a limited extent since the 1990s for the "Cuvée des Caudalies".
Connoisseurs appreciate and love De Sousa's champagnes, whether Brut Tradition, Brut Rosé, or the Cuvée des Caudalies Millesimé, for their crystal-clear and profound characteristics, which, in addition to their fine, vinous style, always carry the "footprint" of the terroir. Production, however, is strictly limited to around 60,000 bottles and can hardly cover demand.
