House of Cards Queen Bee Blanc de Blancs 2018 - Magnum

Only 144 produced

Organic, hand harvested Chardonnay. First fermentation in a second-year French oak barrel where it matured for 12 months. Second fermentation inside the bottle. Aged on yeast lees for 6 years. Riddled, disgorged, dosaged, and now it’s ready to ship to the UK.

Stuart McCloskey “Sunkissed, golden colour – Shimmeringly inviting from the first pour. The bouquet teases with whimsical lightness and makes you work to unravel the fragrance. Honeyed orchard fruits (apple and quince), quince paste, confit lemon rind, lemon curd, toffee apple, sweet pastry, white toast, fresh tarragon, marine-like salinity and buttery florals. You could spend hours unearthing more fragrances. Aromatically, this is going to develop for years to come… This is delicious now (surprisingly given the larger format). This feels expansive, it’s very long in flavour (racy too), and impeccably balanced. Flavours and textures grow with more aeration. Buttered orchard fruits, raw honey, brioche, quince, ripe apricot, and clementine move into a lick of salty slate – florals take you to the journey’s end. Save for House of Arras, most Aussie sparklers disappoint the heck out of me. This is outstanding and a serious wine. The bottle is beautiful but weighs a ton. Do not serve in flutes. Served using Zalto Universal glassware. Drink now to 2035.