2009 House of Arras Grand Vintage

This is a very exciting and rare museum release of one of Australia's finest ever sparkling wines. House of Arras is the undisputed pinnacle of Australian sparkling wine, with chief winemaker Ed Carr consistently crafting releases that rival the very best of Champagne.  James Halliday even went as far as to call this very vintage "Australia's answer to Krug"! 

The 2009 Grand Vintage - a blend of 65% Chardonnay and 35% Pinot Noir sourced primarily from the Derwent Valley and the East Coast of Tasmania - spent an extraordinary twelve years on tirage and a further four years in bottle, with a small portion of the base wine fermented in oak to build unparalleled structural scale.

The 2009 growing season yielded fruit of incredible concentration and structural stamina, allowing the wine to develop monumental secondary complexity while keeping its cool-climate Tasmanian freshness entirely intact.  It was a monumental release at the time, and even more awe-inspiring now as a museum release

The nose is an incredibly complex, multi-layered mix of baked brioche, roasted hazelnuts, and smoked charcuterie, alongside fresh nuances of green apple, lemon juice, and a sea-spray salinity. The palate is rich, ample, and mouth-filling, carrying a creamy, buttery texture and a fantastic mousse presence. A deep, savory core of truffles, brulee and sweet spice is driven through the back end by a piercing line of oyster-shell acidity, culminating in a glorious finish that lingers for minutes.

It's received 97 points from Halliday, The Wine Front and The Real Review, and just a couple of weeks ago claimed the Platinum Trophy from the Decanter World Wine Awards!  This is a legendary release that firmly establishes House of Arras as Australia’s premier sparkling producer.  Extremely limited.

97 points
"Australia's answer to Krug."
- James Halliday (Halliday Wine Companion)