Cuvée des Caudalies Grand Cru Millésimé 2006 from the house of De Sousa is a truly exceptional champagne made from vines of more than 50 years of age.
These have what are known as pivot roots, which take over 10 years plunge to 25 to 30 meters into the earth to extract the mineral salts and trace elements from the chalky sub strata.
When the roots go deep, the influence of the terroir is greater than that of the grape variety. The deeper the roots go the further they are from added fertilizers and the more nutrients they extract, thus producing higher quality grapes. This cuvee is made exclusively from Chardonnay and matured in oak barrels of which 10% are new, which adds a touch of vanilla to the aromas.
It is said that a wine whose aromas persist in the mouth has ‘good length’.
This persistence is measured in ‘caudalies’. One caudalie is equal to approximately one second.
De Sousa have been established in the heart of the prestigious Grand Cru terroirs of the Côte des Blancs for three generations. Their policy is to maintain their old vines and to use organic fertilizers.
Opinion of thewine guides