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De Sousa Champagne Grand Cru 3A NV

$9699
Use code 10OFF to get 10% off 12+ bottles
Grand Cru Chardonnay and Grand Cru Pinot Noir, and the name tells you where it comes from: Avize, Aÿ and Ambonnay, the only three Grand Cru villages in Champagne whose names start with an A. The Chardonnay comes from Avize in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, on belemnite chalk made of fossilised shells. The family considers it the purest chalk in Champagne. The Pinot Noir is split between Aÿ, where the slopes face fully south and the de Sousas still grow old Pinot varieties that give small berries, and Ambonnay, a chalky Grand Cru village on the forested Montagne de Reims. Erick de Sousa has run the estate since 1986. He started converting to organic farming in 1989 and to biodynamics in 1999, and the vines are still ploughed by horse. The family story starts with his grandfather Manuel, a Portuguese soldier from Braga who fought in France in the First World War and then settled in Avize. If you know De Sousa for its Avize Blanc de Blancs, this is the house with Pinot Noir in the picture. It's a grower Champagne that shows what the two great Champagne grapes each bring from their best villages.

Shipping

Every step of the journey is managed to uphold the integrity of each bottle.

  • Nationwide Access: Flat-rate shipping available to most U.S. states with delivery in 3-5 business days.
  • Temperature-Monitored Shipping: We closely monitor weather conditions and make informed decisions to ensure shipments travel safely, with insulated packaging and refrigerated transport available when required.
  • Wine-Specific Protective Packaging: Specialized materials designed to maintain label integrity and prevent breakage during transit.
  • Provenance Assured: All wines are maintained in climate-controlled conditions at our shop until the moment of dispatch.

Returns & Exchanges

We stand behind every bottle we sell.

  • If the wine is less than 10 years old and it is corked, you may return it to us for a full refund or exchange within 60 days of purchase. You must show us proof of purchase. We understand that you may not live near a shop and that it is difficult to ship open bottles of wine to us, so if there's any problem feel free to Contact Us and we'll work it out.
  • For wines older than 10 years, the consumer bears the risk of a faulty cork, but we accept returns of older bottles if the wine is faulty as a result of improper storage. Please come by the store or Contact Us if there is a problem.
  • We may, at our discretion and to the extent permitted by law, accept returns of unopened wines within 30 days of purchase if they were properly stored by the purchaser, subject to a 15% re-stocking fee.

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Have Questions?

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Hours

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Saturday: 12pm - 5pm

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Email: help@flatiron-wines.com
Phone: (415) 780-1405


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Antonio Galloni

92 points

"(50% Chardonnay from Avize, raised in oak, 25% Ay Pinot Noir and 25% Pinot Noir from Ambonnay; 3 g/l dosage): Light, bright yellow-gold. Potent orchard fruit, red berry and jasmine scents show very good clarity and pick up a smoky nuance with air. Chewy and tightly focused on the palate, offering ripe pear and blood orange flavors and a jolt of chalky minerality. Rich yet lively and precise, finishing with strong thrust and suave, lingering florality." —Josh Raynolds

Robert Parker

92 points

"The NV Cuvée 3A Grand Cru Extra Brut (Disg. 1/2016) is an assemblage of the fruit from three villages of the Côte des Blancs: 50% Chardonnay from Avize, 25% Pinot Noir from Aÿ and 25% Pinot Noir from Ambonnay. The edition I tasted in August 2018 is (most likely) based on the 2013 harvest that was (according to the back label, surely) bottled in July 2014 and disgorged in January 2016. Provided with a deep, fresh and intensely aromatic bouquet with some discreet oak aromas, this is a rich, ripe, round and bold cuvée with expansive yet elegant fruit captured by a persistent mineral structure that gives freshness and lightly salty, stimulatingly grippy length. This is an impressive cuvée, and it already drinks superbly today." —Stephan Reinhardt

Wine Enthusiast

93 points

"Based on grand cru fruit from Aÿ, Avize and Ambonnay (3 As), this wine is a structured blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It feels complete, densely textured, full of ripe apples and peaches, with a dryness that is balanced by the ripeness of the biodynamic fruit. Drink the bottling now." —Roger Voss

More about

Wine Details

  • Grape Variety

    Chardonnay , Pinot Noir

  • Vintage

    NV

  • Size

    750ml

  • Farming Practice

    Organic

  • Style

    Elegant

  • Sweetness

    Dry

  • Body

    Medium Bodied

Flatiron's Take

From the Importer

Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

Perfect Pairings

Roast chicken with morel cream sauce; seared scallops in brown butter; gougères; mushroom risotto; pork rillettes on toast; aged Comté.

Tasting Profile

Expect a Champagne that balances its two grapes. The Avize Chardonnay typically brings lemon, white flowers and a chalky, saline edge, while the Pinot Noir from Aÿ and Ambonnay adds red apple, red berries and a rounder, fuller body. Full malolactic fermentation usually softens the acidity into a creamy texture, with fine bubbles and a dry, mineral finish.

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