Demi-Sec Tradition

The Demi-Sec Tradition is a champagne from Avize whose sweetness is intentional, not incidental. Its 40 grams of residual sugar revive the style of an era when champagne was made predominantly sweet. Hedonistic in the best sense, it reaches its full glory when paired with the right food.

De Sousa farms 9.5 hectares in Avize, in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, with grand cru plots in Avize, Cramant, Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. The average vine age exceeds 45 years. The vineyards are worked with horses to avoid soil compaction and preserve the microbiome. The cellars, carved into the chalk, hold a constant 10 °C.

The blend consists of 50% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Meunier, dosed with 40 grams of residual sugar and disgorged on September 28, 2023. It is bottled unfiltered, so a small deposit is possible and not a flaw.

In the glass, old gold with a rusty shimmer and fine perlage. Above a light reductive note, aeration brings out cotton candy and marshmallows, then fully ripe rosy-cheeked apples and pears, alongside sugared nuts and roasted almonds. The palate entry is creamy, with a velvety richness and generous sweetness, rounded out by toffee and caramel; a touch of sea salt provides the counterpoint. The mousse stays fine-grained and drives the drinking flow. Large glasses are a must.

Baked goat cheese with apricots and lavender on crostini, grilled swordfish on caponata, perfumed with orange zest, or grilled suckling pig chops with wild fennel pollen.

Erick De Sousa converted to organic farming in the late 1990s, followed by organic certification in 2010 and Demeter recognition in 2013. Today the house is run by Charlotte, Valentin and Julie De Sousa.