Country: Australia
Region: Various, Tasmania
Year: 2008
Varietal: Vintage Rosé
OVERVIEW
Born of a long-held desire to craft world class sparkling wines, the House of Arras is a true expression of its origin and maker – a marriage of exceptional cold climate Tasmanian vineyards and uncompromising sparkling winemaking techniques mastered over decades. This vintage Rose is purposely crafted in a lighter color Rose style with a Rose gold coloring, the aim being to express elegant Pinot noir character without a ‘heaviness’ of a higher level of colour and tannin.
GRAPE VARIETY
Pinot Noir 68%, Chardonnay 32%
COLOUR
The initial blush colour has evolved to mature Rose Gold hues, expressing the continued development over 17 years.
NOSE
The aromas fully convey the age of the wine and yet retains the fresh rose petal fruits overlayed with the secondary characters of field mushroom, barley malt and a hint of oyster shell.
PALATE
The palate is seamless and viscous exhibiting nuances of red fruits and cream, lychee and forest floor. Exhibiting a fantastic poise, this finely structured palate has an exquisite balance of tannin, acidity and dosage which meld with the vitality and great persistence. The palate is further complemented by the light ‘rancio’ character that has recently appeared, this is adding an attractive dryness to the palate finish.
VINEYARD REGION
Tasmania – Huon Estuary, Derwent Valley,
Coal River Valley and Freycinet
WINEMAKING
As with all the House of Arras cuvees vineyard selection is the initial key to the quality, and for this style we chose premium sites with a history of producing opulent and yet elegant Pinot noir. The wine is made to the true traditional method with hand picking, gentle pressing and ultimately secondary fermentation and maturation in bottle. The winemakers have added further to the wine’s character at the primary stage by allowing for 100% malolactic fermentation and the inclusion of 7.5% fermentation in first use French Oak barriques. A high proportion of Pinot noir builds the richness of the palate whilst the inclusion of Chardonnay adds elegance and flavour diversity.
After the extensive tirage maturation in temperature-controlled cellars, an expedition liqueur tailored for this wine was added, achieving a beautiful balance at very low dosage. The wine has continued to age beautifully post disgorgement, expressing delightful tertiary characters.
TIRAGE
11 years
WINE ANALYSIS
Dosage: 3.3g/L Alc/Vol: 12.5%
FOOD MATCH
Fresh seafoods, poultry and lighter game meats.
SKU: 4099010
