DAOSA (Dedicated Artisans of South Australia) is the sparkling arm of Terre à Terre wines: Xavier Bizot and Lucy Croser. Winemaking sees the DAOSA signature: whole bunch pressed, cold settled in tank for two months before racked into old 600L barrels for primary fermentation. 8 months maturation in barrel with some lees stirring before going through malolactic fermentation. Tiraged on 7th of February 2019 and then aged for 88 months in bottle before being disgorged on 24th of June 2026 with a low dosage.

DAOSA, Blanc de Blancs, Late Disgorged, Chardonnay, Piccadilly Valley, 2018

Pale straw hue. Plenty of persistent fine bead. Fennel, preserved lemon, mocha richness, lemon drops, green apple, barley water, briny saline, pink grapefruit, chicken skin, rock salt and white nectarine, Expressive and expansive mousse offers an almost false front before searing intensity with a potent mid palate and long tail. Dry and intense with a ridiculously coiled tight focus. Don’t serve in a flute or too narrow a glass to allow those years of richness to balance the potency.

RRP: $180
Alc: 12.9%
Rating: 97/100

Wine sample courtesy of Terre à Terre Wines