A cuvée that is composed of mainly Chardonnay (90%) from Avize (made from old vines that are more than 50 years old) and a small fraction of Pinot Noir from Ay in the Grand Cru vineyards, this is a wine that spent a little time in small oak barrels with regular bâtonnage (lees stirring) before they were laid to rest until disgorgement. Don't be fooled by its non-vintage aka NV label though, it is one of those age-worthy champagne rosé that spent a staggering 36 months in bottle before they were released to the market.
We tried a bottle that was disgorged in October 2007 (De Sousa was of those rare progressive wineries that printed their disgorgement dates in that era) and it was utterly sumptuous! Bright copper-orange-pink hues brimming with aromas of toasted brioche, blood orange peel, roasted hazelnuts and ripe red berries with a touch of sherry whipped clotted cream. Lots of zesty orange, slightly bitter pink grapefruit tones on the palate, ripe, intense and racy yet round and delicate. Very fine bubbles and very delicious indeed. Best performance in the last decade we thought if the wine isn't faulty, and it paired really nicely with some steamed kampung chicken marinated in galangal-ginger-scallion sauce. Drink up if you happen to have any in your cellar!
