DAOSA Natural Réserve NV

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.

DAOSA Natural Réserve is aged on lees for at least 18 months before release and is a Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend (Pinot Noir (83%) and Chardonnay (17%). This is only the third release of this wine and shows classic Pinot Noir characters on the mid palate, balanced with beautiful complexity and length from the réserve wine. A classic example of méthode traditionelle Australian sparkling wine.

Comprises pedigree fruit from the Bizot vineyard and from Charles “Chilly” Hargrave’s  Summertown Vineyard (Piccadilly Valley) planted in 1987(one of the oldest vineyards in the Adelaide Hills). Hargrave vineyard is planted with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and the fruit has always been used for sparkling wine – and some years for top end Chardonnay table wine.

The Bizot vineyard is situated in the heart of Piccadilly Valley, and is one of the highest vineyards in the valley at 500m altitude. The soil is red clay and sandy loams over a 70 million-year-old shale rock formation. The Chardonnay is planted on a north-north east facing slope.

The terroir in the higher, cooler slopes of the Piccadilly Valley makes it ideal for Sparkling wine produced using Méthode Traditionnelle. The 2018 vintage which represents 77% of this batch of DAOSA Natural Réserve was warmer than average, and the fruit had very ripe flavours with a balanced acidity. The remaining 23% of the blend is composed of Reserve Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the 2017 and 2016 vintages, aged in oak without sulphur until tiraging in February 2019.

Wow pedigree in spades here … don’t miss this.

96 points, James Halliday “... Ticks all the boxes; elegance, balance, length; ripe citrus, some Granny Smith apple.”

95 points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review “Light to mid-straw colour with a tint of rose-gold. The bouquet is pinoty and quite complex, with nougat and toast aromas plus cashew and almond, with a background coconutty hint of the oak barrel. It’s full-bodied, rich and deeply-flavoured with a very dry, appetising finish and follow-through. The liqueur level is low. There is some strawberry pinosity on the aftertaste and back-palate. Impressive wine. Footnote: after five days in the fridge under a keeper, the bouquet was beautifully balanced, the wine no longer oaky, and the rating was
lifted from 93 to 95.”

96 points, Toni Paterson MW “.. This is a stylish, refined, multi-layered wine with complex characters and impressive length.”

94 points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front  “Delightful sparkling wine. Shows light oxidative, saline and warm nutty notes, ripe apple, pretty citrus and some deeper toasty notes. Some gentle sweetness and richness in the palate is met ably with layers of saline acidity, apple tart and cinnamon spice. It’s such a delight to sip on! Complex, rich, nuanced style of high interest and drinkability. Really good.”

93 points, James Suckling “With very attractive focus and purity, this has a lot to offer. The complexity is subtle, the length good and a sense of seamlessness prevails. Silky, elegant style. Drink or hold.”

RRP $52   Our Price $39.99 in any mixed dozen.

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