De Sousa Avec Le Temps

Tatler Champagne Guide 2024-2025

Grape Makeup:

100% Chardonnay

Sweetness Level:

Extra Brut

Ageing on Lees:

24+ months

Price:

$$

Cellar:

Up to five years

Category:

Culinary

What

The biodynamic, organic producer with Portuguese and Avizoise heritage, beloved for its robust, powerful old-vine Chardonnay.

Where

Avize, Côte des Blancs; 11ha of vines in 42 plots across several Grand Crus, all on chalk soils; 60% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, 10% Meunier, with the first vineyards dating to 1890; farming is Demeter certified biodynamic and organic.

Why

Avec le Temps is a new cuvée from De Sousa (not yet even present on their website), first released in 2021. Coming from 35 year-old vines on chalky sites in the Grands Crus Avize, Oger, Le Mesnil and Cramant, with 40% reserves, this is as close as it gets at De Sousa to a straightforward (and relatively affordable) NV Blanc de Blancs but the profile, with shades of rye toast and pecan, remains decidedly luxe.

What Else

Try their iconic perpetual cuvée Cuvée de Caudalies, which exemplifies the house style and is one of the most admired multi-vintage prestige cuvées in the region. Its rosé version, made with 10% Pinot Noir from Aÿ, is also rich and pungent with candied ginger and marmalade.

Tasting Notes

This is characteristically nutty and rich with a rye bread savouriness, cider apples, baked pear and pecan. The palate is full, oily and plush with ripe pear and quince fruit gleaming through the middle. It grows quite warming and soft with a gentle mousse, acidity just supports it from within but it is definitely an oval in shape without any tightness on the start or finish.

Try It With

A classic holiday turkey (but skip any sweet sauce)

When To Drink

Main course or after dinner

Perfect For

Your friend with the Peter Liem box set

Tatler Tip

This is such a new cuvée from De Sousa that it's not even on their website yet; score some insider cred by serving it to your champagne geek friends first.

TL/DR

Nutty, full-fruited and savoury

Supplier

Champagne Asia