Description
Terre à Terre Wines (meaning ‘Down to Earth’) are Xavier Bizot (son of the late Christian Bizot of Bollinger fame) and wife Lucy Croser (daughter of Brian and Ann Croser.
The Bizot vineyard, one of the highest altitude vineyards at 550m in the heart of the Piccadilly Valley in the Adelaide Hills, was planted by Christian Bizot in 1995/1996 with various Chardonnay clones on the expert advice of Lucy’s father Brian Croser from Petaluma. The Bizot Vineyard – red clay and sandy loams over a 70 million-year-old shale rock formation – was leased to Petaluma for the Croser sparkling label. However in 2009, the fruit from the higher part of the vineyard was retained for the first time by Terre à Terre in order to produce a Single Vineyard Blanc de Blancs names DAOSA ((Dedicated Artisans of South Australia).
In 2016 they made their first Pinot Noir sparkling base from selected Piccadilly Valley blocks and destined for their first release of the DAOSA Natural Réserve NV in 2018.
Experimentation and observation has led Xavier and Lucy to believe that the Piccadilly Valley is one of the greatest regions in Australia for sparkling wine.
DAOSA is made following the Méthode Traditionnelle, (“Method Classic” TM ), the method used in the Champagne region of France.
100% Chardonnay, this is vintage méthode traditionelle sparkling. Bottle aged for 28 months before release.
Winemaking notes: Fruit was hand harvested on 23rd of February 2015 and whole bunch pressed, retaining only 550L per tonne of fruit pressed (similar to the Cuvée in Champagne). This gave very fresh acidity, clean juice and good primary fruit characters in the juice prior to fermentation. The juice was cold settled in tank for 3 months before being run into old barrels for primary fermentation. Once primary fermentation was completed, the barrels were topped and the wine stayed in barrel, with some lees stirring, for a further 23 months where it went through malolactic fermentation. The wine was then “tiraged”, by the addition of yeast and sugar to the wine just before bottling, in order to induce the secondary fermentation in bottle. The resultant sparkling wine was aged for 30 months in bottle before being disgorged with the addition of a low dosage of 7g/L in August 2019. The DAOSA Blanc de Blancs 2015 has spent more than 4 years on lees in total, in barrel and in bottle.
The time in old oak after primary fermentation gives the wine its power and persistence. The lengthy time on lees adds a lot complexity to the wine, and makes it eminently drinkable. The finish is clean and long.
DAOSA Blanc de Blancs 2015 has been awarded a Platinum Medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2020, the highest awarded Australian sparkling wine in the show. The DWWA is the world’s largest and most
influential wine competition, judged by a panel of top wine experts from around the globe, including 37 Masters of Wine and 9 Master Sommeliers. In the 2020 awards, just 178 platinum medals were awarded to a field of over
16,500 entries, with only 17 of those platinum medals awarded to Australian wines. The judges notes: 97 points “Beautifully perfumed with hints of peach, bright citrus and heady, rich brioche notes, then to a palate braced with a fine acidity, clean, focused fruit and a layered textured finesse.” DWWA.
This extraordinary wine recently replaced Krug by the pour at Bennelong restaurant.. Pedigree and oodles of sophistication here…
97 points and “Best of the Best” James Halliday 2021 Australian Wine Companion “Bright straw-green; it’s very elegant, very long, and superbly balanced. Xavier Bizot says ‘this is by far the best vintage of our Blanc de Blancs’.
95 points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front ““Oxidative aromas, fino and sea spray, general nuttiness, some richer stone fruit notes, pear and apple too. I love it. The palate does the same. Richness but a piercing core of tingly acidity and coursing, very tight little bubbles. Wicked. It’s such a complex, interesting and very delicious wine all up.”
96 points and Top Rated Australian Sparkling Wine, Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine “A cracking vintage wine from Xavier Bizot showing aromas of coconut, nougat, cashew nut, lemon curd and hints of oak barrel. Full bodied and weighty. Displays concentration and richness, the finish long and powerful. A most impressive sparkling wine.”
96 points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review ““Medium to full yellow colour, with a very nutty, nougat-like bouquet which incorporates fresh oak and nutty lees-derived characters. It’s full-bodied and powerful, dry, savoury and lasting, with some tannin grip which helps dry the palate and aftertaste. Oak makes a strong statement and the wine is full-bodied, powerful and dramatic.”
RRP $98 **OUR PRICE $81.99 in any mixed dozen.
