It is undeniable that the extraordinary climatic and economic challenges of late 2019 and of the first half of 2020 will have a long-lasting impact. We are all learning to adjust to a different way of living and running our businesses in the medium to long term, and it has been a steep learning curve for us all.
However, the seasons continue no matter what else is happening in the world and so vintage 2020 was conducted under trying and stressful circumstances for us all. At Terre à Terre and DAOSA, we have been lucky to have had an excellent quality 2020 vintage both in Wrattonbully and in the Piccadilly Valley, albeit in minute quantities. The wines in tank and barrel are of the highest standard, which has brought some comfort in these otherwise very difficult times.
We have also used the time freed by lower business activity to reflect more deeply on what we have achieved since we planted the Bizot Vineyard in the Piccadilly Valley in 1995 and the Crayères Vineyard in Wrattonbully in 2004, and released our first wines under the Terre à Terre and DAOSA labels. (2008 Sauvignon Blanc and 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon for Terre à Terre, and 2009 Blanc de Blancs for DAOSA).
Since the very beginning we have always maintained a strong vision- to select cool climate vineyard sites that are best suited to their variety, to manage our vineyards ourselves, and to only make wine from fruit that we grow and harvest by hand.
Over the past twenty years or so we have continually worked to improve our knowledge and understanding of our different vineyard sites in the Piccadilly Valley and Wrattonbully, most notably in terms of pruning regime, refined vine training practices and soil management. In the winery, over the years we have tried different techniques for different wines, different oak regimes (new/old, large/small, but always French…), and different fermentation regimes for both red and white wines (use of whole fruit for white pressing, use of whole fruit in red fermentation, wild ferments trials). Indeed, in the last 12 years, we have bottled 65 different wines / vintages, all fruit of our own experiments in the vineyards and the winery. This necessary period of exploration and experience has been an essential foundation to refine our style and to achieve the best out of our precious vineyard sites.
Today we are very proud to release the following new wines which we believe aptly represent a milestone in our fine wine journey. After gaining a deep knowledge of the separate red varietals of the Crayères Vineyard, we are now confident that the best expressions of the site are Cabernet and Shiraz blends. Our new releases are as follows:
Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Cabernet Franc Shiraz 2018
Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2018
Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Reserve 2016
