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).
The Bizot vineyard is located in Summertown, in the heart of Piccadilly Valley subregion in the Adelaide Hills, and is one of the highest vineyards in the valley at 550m altitude. It was planted by Petaluma in 1995/1996 for DAOSA with Chardonnay. It was planted with several clones, including French “Burgundy” clones 76, 95 and 96. It is also one of the first Australian vineyards to have been planted using rootstocks in part of the vineyard. 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, at a relatively high density of 3,200 vines per hectare.
The climate in the Piccadilly Valley has a long-term average of 1,172 degree days during the growing season. Yearly rainfall is approximately 1,100mm. The 2018 vintage was much warmer than average at 1,513 degree days with close to average rainfall (86% of average rainfall during the ripening season). Chardonnay fruit quality at harvest was superb with great balance of flavours and acidity.
“This is the tenth vintage of our Blanc de Blancs from our home Chardonnay vineyard in Summertown on the higher slopes of the Piccadilly Valley. This wine is made following the principles of our Method ClassicTM. DAOSA Blanc de Blancs is recognised as one of the top Australian sparkling wines” Winemaker notes.
About this wine from the winemakers: “The Bizot Vineyard is located in Summertown, in the heart of Piccadilly Valley sub-region in the Adelaide Hills and is one of the highest vineyards in the valley at 550m altitude. It was planted by Christian Bizot and Brian Croser in 1995/1996 with several clones of Chardonnay, including French “Burgundy” clones 76, 95, 96 and 277. It is also one of the first Australian vineyards to have been planted using rootstocks in part of the vineyard. 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, at a relatively high density of 3,200 vines per hectare.
About the vintage: “The climate in the Piccadilly Valley has a long-term average of 1,172-degree days during the growing season. Yearly rainfall is approximately 1,100mm. The 2020 vintage was on average at 1,181-degree days, with heat summations for January and February much lower than average. Rain was higher than average. November and December rainfall interfered with flowering and fruit set in our Chardonnay vineyard, and Chardonnay yields were especially low at around 2.5 tonnes per hectare. As for 2019, the quality of the fruit was spectacular with low sugars, ripe stone fruit flavours and a great acid line.
“DAOSA is made following the Méthode Traditionnelle, (Method ClassicTM ), the method used in the Champagne region of France. Fruit was hand-harvested on the 11th and 12th of March 2020 and whole bunch pressed, retaining only 580L per tonne of fruit pressed. The juice was very clear with great acid balance and good primary fruit characters. The juice was cold settled in tank before before being run into old 600L 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 6 months where it went through malolactic fermentation. The wine was then “tiraged” in November 2020, by the addition of yeast and sugar to the wine just before bottling, to induce the secondary fermentation in bottle. The resultant sparkling wine was aged for over three and a half years in bottle before being disgorged with the addition of a low dosage of 5g/L in September 2024. The DAOSA Blanc de Blancs 2020 has spent more than 4 years on lees in total, in barrel and in bottle.”
94 points, Mike Bennie, Australian Wine Companion “From a single vineyard planted in 1994 at 550m above sea level. The wine spends 46 months on lees in bottle. It’s a beautiful wine, lighter weight from this release, fine boned, yet still delivers lively saline elements, nutty savouriness, green apple, pink grapefruit and a light undertow of sweet patisserie notes – complexity in a gentle frame. Creamy bubbles work well here. There’s some sweetness to fruit and the nutty-yeasty characters also deliver light honey amongst cashew and hazelnut. As per the season, perhaps, a light smoky element glows warm in the wine, a little bitter through the finish, perhaps a quibble. Very good overall.”
96 points, Aaron Brasher, The Real Review “On pouring there’s a lovely, vibrant mousse and a super, persistent bead. Lifted and complex aromas of hazelnut, grapefruit pith, green apple, brioche, biscuit and toast. Fine, focused and driven by flavours of citrus, sweet pastry, lemon curd, spice, talc and baked apple. The acidity is punchy and pithy and there’s a textured drive of phenolics helping to shape length and mouth-feel. Very classy gear.”
94 Points -Angus Hughson, Chasing Down Champagne “This incredibly stylish DAOSA 2020 Blanc de Blancs is so refined and teases with hints of almond, praline and finger lime showing excellent precision and focus. Velvety textured with fantastic acid drive as linear acidity drives a long, and fine finish. Subtlety is the key here which will build further in time.”
95 points, Ned Goodwin, Halliday’s Wine Companion ““Xavier Bizot is well-versed in building texture via barrel fermentation and extended time on lees. Old oak, mind you, where the wine sits for nine months following the first fermentation. Scents of glazed quince, citrus marmalade, shiitake, oak-derived acacia, almond meal and toasted brioche. A wine of indelible precision as much as latent power, building across a long finish draped with some perceivable sweetness.”
95 points, Shanteh Wale, Wine Pilot “A finespun wine of white flowers, lotus and crab apple blossoms. White peach and rainier cherries. There is a razor edge to the acidity, not shrill but powerful and driving the citron fruit home. Some subtle chalk and white sandstone minerality. Almond biscotti and shortbread in the finish. This is extremely youthful and only just beginning to reveal its crumbly biscuit and autolysis shades. A lovely wine for drinking now with raw scallop crudo or in another 15 years with some puff pastry onion tarts.”
94 points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front ““Excellent release. It exhibits both finesse and flavour. Sweet pastries and strawberries, citrus and nectarine, elements of peach and biscuits. It feels bot soft and sophisticated, and it has length. This is right up there”
RRP $98 *Our Special Price $74.50 when you buy 6 or more of this wine.
