Heritage
OUR STORY
PHILOSOPHY
From the beginning the vision for Terre à Terre and DAOSA has been to grow grapes of exceptional quality from our carefully selected vineyard sites every year, and then vinify them using the best of French and Australian wine practices. We believe that with rigour and precision, we can produce world class fine wines which will have great aging potential, combining elegance and power. We like to retain our independence from the common wine trends and focus on creating a Great Australian Classic.
We created our Terre à Terre and DAOSA labels in 2008, but the heritage goes further back in time. We both grew up surrounded by passionate winemaking families, Xavier in Champagne, France and Lucy in the Adelaide Hills.
1995
In 1995 and 1996, Xavier’s father Christian Bizot planted the Bizot Vineyard in the Piccadilly Valley, Adelaide Hills with various Chardonnay clones on the expert advice of Lucy’s father Brian Croser from Petaluma. The Bizot Vineyard was leased to Petaluma for the Croser sparkling label.
2003
2008/2009
In 2008, we made our first wine from the Crayères Vineyard, the first Terre à Terre Sauvignon Blanc. We planted more in the Crayères Vineyard, adding a hectare each of Shiraz and Cabernet Franc. One year later in 2009 we made our first red wine for Terre à Terre from the Crayères Vineyard, a Cabernet Sauvignon, and also our first sparkling wine from the Bizot Vineyard, a Blanc de Blancs. We named the sparkling wine DAOSA.
2014
By 2014 the Crayères Vineyard vines were reaching maturity, and in this vintage we made our first red blends, the Crayères Reserve- a blend of the best barrels of the vintage, and the Wrattonbully Rouge- a vibrant and approachable Cabernet Franc and Shiraz blend.
2016
In 2016 we made our first Pinot Noir sparkling base from selected Piccadilly Valley blocks which we manage, destined for our first release of the DAOSA Natural Réserve in 2018.
2020
In 2020 we have taken stock of more than 15 years of growing grapes and making wines from these two very special places. Experimentation and observation has led us to two firm beliefs: that the Piccadilly Valley is one of the greatest regions in Australia for sparkling wine; and that best expression of the Crayères Vineyard lies in textural Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet and Shiraz red blends.
