de Sousa - Cuvée des Caudalie Grand Cru 2008

Decanter Magazine

Erick De Sousa described 2008 as a perfect season, prompting him to bottle more than double the usual volume of this cuvée. It resonates with the stature of his old vines in Avize and Oger, juxtaposing the tension and focus of pure 2008 acidity with ripe fruit power, oak fermentation complexity and an all-consuming shower of epic, cascading, salty chalk minerality as embracing as a dousing in an icy waterfall.

James Suckling

A creamy and vinous blanc de blancs with notes of baked apples, pears, brioche, pie crust, toffee and walnuts on the nose. Medium- to full-bodied, with lovely weighty and ripe layers, balanced by bright acidity and tight bubbles. Fantastic concentration. From biodynamically grown grapes. Disgorged March 2022. 3g/L dosage. Drink now or hold.

Bettane et Desseauve

La Revue du Vin de France

Falstaff

Medium golden yellow, silver reflections; refined persistent mousse. Ripe yellow fruit, nuances of apple, peach and pineapple, underlaid with a little nougat and toasty aromas, hint of fresh fig. Taut, tight-knit, white tropical fruit, racy, fresh acidity, very precise, chalky-salty minerality, lime zest aftertaste; an array of flavours unfold on the finish as colours on a peacock's tail, very long length. Has potential for many more years.

Vinum Wine Magazine

Wine Enthusiast

A selection of Chardonnay from a 50-year-old vineyard has produced this remarkable wine. Its balance is impeccable: ripe, tangy and toasty all at the same time. The texture is intense, enhanced by the purity of the fruit. It is just ready to drink.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

From 100% barrel-fermented Chardonnay (50+-year-old vines), the 2008 Cuvée des Caudalies Grand Cru Extra Brut offers a clear, fresh, pure and mineral-scented bouquet of matured Blanc de Blancs from the Côte des Blancs. It displays toasty and chalky flavors along with white fruit and truffle aromas. On the palate, this is a bone dry, lean, fresh and very pure Champagne with a rather austere character. It is stimulatingly fresh and leaves the palate with lovely grip, but it does not cater to hedonists. The 2008 remains a very pure, mineral, highly tensioned, persistent, doubtlessly elegant yet lean, steely and rather ascetic vintage of Caudalies, and I don't know if it will ever be very charming. Be assured, I like its refreshing and steely style (and its complexity), and due to its salty purity and mineral freshness, it should be great as an aperitif (well, if you like it complex as a starter) and will surely pair with raw fish and oysters. The 2008 was bottled in April 2009, and my sample was disgorged in February 2016.