2017 House of Arras Grand Vintage

98 pts
One of Australia's benchmark sparkling wines, released nine years from vintage.

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Sale price$125.00
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Description

The Grand Vintage cuveé from Ed Carr and House of Arras is arguably Australia's most important sparkling wine.

Ed Carr sources the fruit from a mix of premium sites across Tasmania - from the Derwent Valley to the East Coast - to build a complete picture of the vintage. The 2017 release is Chardonnay dominant (69%) with a solid hit of Pinot Noir (31%), all aged for six years on lees before it sees the light of day.

That extended time in the bottle is what gives it that signature richness. It pours with a fine bead and delivers a complex mix of fresh and savoury flavours. Think lemon curd and grapefruit sitting alongside roasted almond, fresh brioche and crème brûlée. They’ve kept the dosage incredibly low at 2.8g/L, so despite those rich pastry notes, the finish is razor sharp and salty.

It is a wine of tension and volume that proves you don't need to look to France for world-class fizz.

98 points
"Great length and tension. A seriously smart sparkling wine, ageing slowly and gracefully."
- Huon Hooke (The Real Review)

96 points & Sparkling of the Year
"Finishes long and true with just a light phenolic texture and ample complexity."
- Dave Brookes (Halliday Wine Companion)

98 points - "Light, bright yellow/straw in the glass, with aromas of herbs, celeriac and green apple, smoky/toasty tertiary characters in the background, and everything in lovely balance—no one thing dominating. The mousse is creamy on the palate with fluffy texture and a lovely dry, appetising finish which is soft, balanced and dry. Great length and tension. A seriously smart sparkling wine, ageing slowly and gracefully." - Huon Hooke (The Real Review)

96 points - "69/31% chardonnay/pinot noir fermented in a combination of stainless steel and new tightly grained French oak barriques (6%), disgorged November '24. Finely bubbled, with an expressive swell of grapefruit, lemon, apple and poached pear fruits with underlying nuances of fresh brioche, apple butter, crushed stone, ocean breeze, nougat and crème brûlée. The toasty tones grow on the palate, along with grilled nuts and soft spice. A tight, umami-rich acidity brings everything into line and provides a harmonious cadence as the wine sails forward. Finishes long and true with just a light phenolic texture and ample complexity." - Dave Brookes (Halliday Wine Companion)

92 points - "This is a good drink, it’s got richness, some coursing minerality, a line of frisky citrus and green apple crunch, but also feels a little soft, not quite tired, but that the opulence here is perhaps overtaking refreshment factor. Golden coloured in the glass, flavours reflect a kind of honey-on-cereal savouriness/sweetness and there’s some sourdough elements playing well in there too. Overall, a vinous expression, but the get-up-and-go is a little less than expected, so too zing and revitalisation. That being said, complexity and depth in spades." - Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

The House of Arras Grand Vintage 2017 holds all the attributes of an exquisite epicurean sparkling crafted using the renowned method of secondary fermentation and the House of Arras trademark of extended lees aging.

GRAPE VARIETY Chardonnay 69%, Pinot Noir 31%
TIRAGE 6 years
DOSAGE 2.8g/L
ALC/VOL 13%
ACIDITY 6.7g/L
pH 3.07
Appearance
Light to medium straw with a green gold edge. A very fine and persistent bead.

Bouquet
Citrus aromas of grapefruit and lemon are accompanied by notes of oyster shell, roasted almond, fresh brioche, and a hint of earthiness.

Palate
A wine of great complexity, richness and tension. Characters of lemon curd, honeycomb, nougat, and crème brûlée result in ideal mid-palate volume which is balanced by fine persistent effervescence and crisp acidity. A hint of salinity enhances the wine’s elegant structure while the low dosage heightens the mineral freshness.

Vineyard Provenance
Tasmania; Derwent Valley, East Coast, Coal River Valley, Pipers River and Tamar Valley.

Price Bracket $101 and Above
Type Sparkling
Body Full Bodied
Variety Chardonnay
Country Australia
Region Tasmania
Australian State TAS
Feature High Score
Iconic
Reviewed By Halliday Wine Companion
The Real Review
The Wine Advocate
Critic Score 98
96
Size 750ml
Vintage 2017
Closure Cork

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