2008 House of Arras EJ Carr Late Disgorged Sparkling with Gift Box

James Halliday 98 Points

64.4/35.6% chardonnay/pinot noir, aged on lees in tirage for 14 years, disgorged November 2023. It goes without saying that a large format version of Ed Carr's outstanding Late Disgorged Arras is always going to be a good idea. Light straw in the glass with an ultra-fine bead and aromas of green apple, juicy nectarine and white peach and hints of proving sourdough, crushed oyster shell, freshly baked brioche, sea spray, enoki mushrooms, shortbread, crushed stone and white flowers. Long, complex and wonderfully balanced, toasty autolysis notes fluttering in and out of the olfactory field of vision, citrus and apple fruits, tautly stretched on a framework of nervy, minerally acidity. Beautifully focused and pristine drinking.