We are delighted to share the news that our DAOSA Piccadilly Valley Blanc de Blancs 2015 has been awarded a platinum medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2020.
The Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) is the world’s largest and most influential wine competition. The 2020 awards were judged in London in August by a panel of 116 top wine experts from around the globe, including 37 Masters of Wine, and 9 Master Sommeliers. the DWWA is trusted internationally for its rigorous judging process. Platinum medals are awarded to wines scoring 97-100 points, and must be tasted blind by a panel of judges at least four times to achieve this accolade. In the 2020 awards, just 178 platinum medals were awarded to a field of over 16,500 entries from around the globe, with 17 of those platinum medals awarded to Australian wines. Australian wines performed very strongly in the awards this year, representing just 5% of entries but taking out 10% of the top awards.
Here’s what the judges had to say about the wine:
“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.”
At DAOSA our aim from the start has been very simple: we focus on growing the best fruit from our carefully selected vineyard sites and making the best wines from our unique terroir. We grow all of our own fruit, so we have complete control of the quality at every stage of the process. We believe that Chardonnay is the most suitable variety for the climate and soils (clay, sandstone and shale) of the Piccadilly Valley. The higher and cooler slopes of the Piccadilly Valley with an eastern aspect (avoiding the afternoon sun) are perfect for production of sparkling wines. The challenges for growers are similar to Champagne (management of steep slopes, frost, spring rain interfering with fruit set), but the ripening season is different, with shorter days, but more sunshine. We have always said that DAOSA is not an attempt to reproduce Champagne in Australia – only Champagne can make Champagne.
In 2019 we trademarked the name Method Classic, to protect the rigorous process we use to make our sparkling wine. As we prepare to release the 2016 Blanc de Blancs, the platinum medal assures us that we are on the right path and that the Piccadilly Valley is a world-class region for sparkling wine.
