House of Arras, Tasmania Vintage Rosé

Varietal: 62% Pinot Noir, 38% Chardonnay

Colour: Rosé Style: Sparkling Vintage: 2016

Producer: House of Arras

Description:
Ed Carr has been the head winemaker at House of Arras since 1998, and in 2024, he was awarded the prestigious ‘Sparkling Winemaker of the Year’ title by the International Wine Challenge. James Halliday calls him “a quietly spoken genius, whose name should be known around the world. He is, by some considerable distance, Australia’s greatest sparkling winemaker.”

Ed has always sourced his fruit from seven of Tasmania’s best wine-growing regions: Tamar Valley, Pipers River (where House of Arras is based), Coal River Valley, the East Coast, Huon Valley, Derwent Valley, and Devonport. Offering a patchwork of soils, aspects and climatic conditions, each vineyard contributes unique characters to the final blend. Ed saw earlier than others the potential for sparkling wine in Tasmania, as the cool climate yields vibrant, acid-driven fruit that is perfectly suited for secondary fermentation and, crucially, extensive lees-ageing. Ed is a proponent of lengthy triage, insisting on lees-ageing his vintage wines for at least six years before disgorgement. As a result, the Arras sparkling wines display great depth and complexity.

Vineyards:
The fruit is sourced primarily from the Coal River Valley area in Tasmania's south east, with additional fruit coming from sites in the Derwent Valley, Pipers River and East Coast. All vineyards are on VSP trellis and have supplementary irrigation due to the dry summer and autumn. The canopies are managed to maintain dappled light on the fruit, to allow sufficient light intensity for full ripening whilst avoiding sunburn.

Vinification:
The fruit was hand picked and whole cluster pressed using only the 'heart' juice from the pressing. Primary fermentation included 10.8% in new French oak barriques. The wines spend up to 6 months in oak before blending into the current vintage base wines to be tiraged by December of their vintage year. All base wines undergo 100% malolactic fermentation. The Pinot Noir component is selected for its intense red berry fruits, while Chardonnay is added for structural elegance. Colour and fruit characters are further adjusted by the use of Tasmanian Pinot Noir dry red wine in the expedition liqueur. This component is made by carbonic maceration to ensure fruit and colour intensity with lower levels of tannin.

Tasting Notes:
Light rose gold in colour with a hint of crimson to the edge. Lifted aromas of raspberry and Turkish Delight are complemented by stone fruit and lychee. On the palate this is a seamless, luscious and intense wine with Maraschino cherry, blood orange and berry yoghurt. The low dosage is perfectly matched to the fruit, acidity and tannin. This wine exhibits a precise line of vibrant fruit, and a long, lingering and complex finish.

Food Pairing:
Pairs beautifully with rich seafood like salmon, trout, or tuna. Its structure also complements creamy soft cheeses (brie), cured meats, grilled chicken, and delicate berry-based desserts.

ABV: 13.5%