A Burgundy expert once told me that white Burgundy wouldn’t age gracefully past ten years. The hot take there was to drink your Chardonnay as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. This mania of consuming wines while they are fresh and, in their prime, can work in some cases, but in others, patience is rewarded, certain styles of wine need years, sometimes decades, to show what they’re truly made for.

With sparkling wines, the trend is also to drink them young, with only a few “Champagne wizards” creating bottles that can last for generations. Within the Australian bubbles’ universe, that idea doesn’t usually apply. Yet, seated at the 30th Anniversary of House of Arras alongside Ed Carr, it became clear that age and Australian sparkling wine can happily coexist. The two late-disgorged wines, one from the 2006 vintage and the other from 1998, served from magnum, were extraordinary. Age, in these cases, was just a number, the 1998 looked incredibly fresh and even more athletic than the 2006. Someone in the room gasped, while another rightly pointed out the role of the large-format bottle. Does a 1.5 L bottle make a difference compared to a standard 750 mL? Absolutely.

I still remember an old mentor, who also happened to be a Champagne tragic. She always told me, “If you really want to build a wine cellar, invest in magnums. It will cost you more, but the reward is far superior, and your money is better invested.”

Is Ed Carr one of those Champagne wizards? He reflects: “We really felt that Tasmania had something very special. With the very limited access we had at that time, the wines we made stood out on the bench, and we felt we could take this further. The next 30 years have been very good in that regard.” Call it wizardry, or intuition coupled with the right place at the right time, House of Arras has certainly earned its place among the stars of the sparkling world.

“We knew we had the right varieties; it’s been an evolution of learning how those varieties work in these specific regions and subregions, and how they fit the matrix of these vines. We started with a simple mindset: to make the best sparkling wines we could.” And they have certainly achieved that. With minimal dosage, these wines highlight site and fruit expression, evolving into complex, unique examples of Tasmanian terroir as they age.

One special mention goes to their Rosé. I have always admired Rosé Champagne, though most of the time it is beyond my reach. The 2017 Arras Rosé is sublime, and alongside the 1998, it was my absolute favourite from the tasting. 

So, yes, forget what Burgundy experts or fleeting trends tell you. In the right hands, and in the right place, a wine can defy time and expectations.

House of Arras NV Brut Elite Cuvée 1801
96pts | $68.00

A blend of 61.9% Pinot Noir, 29.2% Chardonnay, and 8.9% Meunier, the base wine comes from the 2018 vintage. For a Brut style, the dosage is quite low at only 3.13 g/L, leaving very little to the imagination. The nose opens with gentle notes of pan brioche and warm butter, followed by heartening aromas of lemon curd, meringue, grilled cashews, smoked grapefruit, and hawthorn. The palate is enriched by a fine and persistent perlage whose unbroken chain of bubbles holds court, contributing to an overall impression of freshness and chalkiness. A curled lees character of bread crust and fresh dough unfolds like a peacock’s tail into citrus and green fruit tones. It culminates in a sublimely elegant and vibrant finish, making this an NV Brut that punches well above most others on the market.

House of Arras 2017 Blanc de Blancs
95pts | $136.00

A smidge of reduction to start, after seven years on lees, it’s more than understandable that it needs a few moments to stretch its legs. Then the race is on: flashes of poached quince and Jazz apple, salted grapefruit and fresh cream bun, vanilla pod, gently toasted Brazil nuts, Meyer lemon, and an earthy hint of white button mushrooms. On the palate, the tanginess and liveliness say it all, with notes of Jazz apple, citrus fruit, and a touch of jasmine, before shifting into honeyed toast and closing on a pristine line of acidity with plenty of mineral-driven chalk character. There’s a bite of minerality that leaves the palate clean, with a feathery sensation — as though it were lulling you on the surface of the water.

House of Arras 2017 Vintage Rosé
98pts | $125

A combination of 73% Pinot Noir and 27% Chardonnay, displaying a mesmerizing rose-gold colour. If it’s true that we buy first with our eyes, then shut up and take my money. We’re again in low-dosage territory, with only 3.1 g/L. And the fruit shines. A vibrant, lifted, mildly aromatic yet composed nose, so gently perfumed yet so incisive, unfurls notes of distilled redcurrant, cherry, fresh rose, and lavender. Utterly gentle on the palate yet ticking all the boxes: an uber fine perlage caresses the mouth with its velvety touch, as if wearing a silk glove. The finish is tense and precise, with a satisfyingly chalky bite.

House of Arras 2006 30^th Anniversary E.J. Carr Late Disgorged
96pts | $330

A museum release to celebrate 30 immaculate years of House of Arras. Prepare the tissues. Almost bone dry, with a dosage of just 1.7 g/L. 66% Chardonnay and 34% Pinot Noir. On the nose, it opens with captivating smokiness and toastiness before plunging into aromas of lemon curd, Brazilian nuts, melted butter over warm brioche, citrus tart, orange blossom, and jasmine. Nuances of undergrowth, truffle, and mushroom, alongside dried apricot, honeyed toast, and smoked almonds, add to the complex tapestry of aromas and flavours, a testament to its remarkable 16 years on lees. The palate shows incredible intensity and length, with waves of flavour rolling one after another, framing a monumental release capable of astonishing two generations.

House of Arras 1998 E.J. Carr Late Disgorged magnum
99pts

Tasting this wine now from a 1.5 L bottle, I completely see the point my old mentor always made: age your wine in magnum, as it will develop more gracefully. Yes, there are tertiary notes, but overall, it remains remarkably vibrant and fresh. A blend of 62% Chardonnay and 38% Pinot Noir, the nose offers an array of aromas ranging from white truffle and toasted hazelnuts to lemon meringue, smoked green olives, sea spray, melted butter, fragrant brioche, lemon verbena, and hawthorn. To put things in perspective, it actually seems younger than 2006. The palate presents an attractive interplay of mushroom and white truffle with the freshest butter on warm bread. The flavours are polished and meticulously structured, with a level of deliciousness that’s hard to resist. The finish delivers a pristine, pure, yet characterful line of crunchy acidity and flavours, all melding together beautifully. Needless to say, the length is nothing short of amazing, and this wine still has plenty of time ahead.