House Of Arras Grand Vintage 2008 (Tasmania)

The Arras Grand Vintage is a wine of outstanding quality, enriched by the great complexity of character that follows eight years in tirage. This traditional blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir retains all the brilliant freshness and longevity that will continue to allow the wine to improve with age. This is a benchmark Australian sparkling wine which exhibits all the hallmarks of a world class sparkling wine.

Fruit for this wine was hand-picked from cold climate Tasmanian vineyards prior to gentle whole bunch pressing, from which only free run juice was collected. Primary fermentation was undertaken on light lees, followed by 100% malolactic fermentation. Once clarified, the wines were judiciously blended to style, bottled as tirage and matured in cool, dark storage for a minimum of eight years before disgorgement.

A cooler than average year with high rainfall at the start of the growing season. Conditions became favourable over flowering resulting in a solid crop set. The season remained cool and hence elegant flavours and structure persisted through to harvest with an excellent natural acidity evident in the base wines. This season’s wines exhibit finesse and longevity with great potential for release after extended maturation. Winery Notes