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“Our mission was to blend, craft, and release wines at the point of perfect harmony,” Ed Carr said. “We’ve been in Tasmania 25 years and have learned a lot about the vineyards”
wine, and it has evolved into a great wine—so, yes, it has become very exciting. It was exciting right at the start, and it has never stopped being so.” This was as far as this modest man’s own feelings were mentioned before he returned to talking about his craft. “We can just continue to learn about the wines, and we have built up a considerable resource now. We have six to seven labels every year and a Vintage release every year. We continue to learn as we go.” He then explained stylistic choices. “Although 25 years seems a long time, in the wine game it is not very long at all—yet Tasmania has continued to impress with each year that has gone by. We have learned a lot about putting these individual wines together. We have always been 100 percent malolactic fermentation in our style, just to increase creaminess and depth, and we have really looked at tailoring each vineyard to the labels. I guess one of our bigger moves in style was from 2007 onward, when we started including oak for our base wines. That has really opened up our whole evolution for us. I guess what I would really like to highlight is the diversity of the wines we make and the longevity of these wines. The oldest wine you will taste today was made in 2001, and we wanted wines with great maturity and complexity that still retain a lot of elegance and brightness. It is just great to be able to look back on these as 20-year- old wines,” he noted. “If anything, this has really blown us away.”
84 | THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 79 | 2023 TASTING
House of Arras Blanc de Blancs NV (12.5%ABV; dosage 8.1g/l)
An intensely creamy nose, brimming with butter and lemon, like raw, lemon-zest-fl ecked, buttery shortcrust pastry. Vivid, creamy, and bright, with just an edge of lime. The palate is wonderfully light and bright, almost airy, with a creamy mousse. It carries all the serene citrus freshness of a blanc de blancs, having a verve and sprightliness, without there being anything facile about it. On the contrary. Gorgeous. | 93
House of Arras Brut Elite Cuvée No.1701 MV (12.9% ABV; dosage 3.4g/l)
Lovely hints of both tangerine and Seville orange peel have a pithy and almost waxy edge on the nose. All is very subtle. The palate picks up those aromatic, pithy green and orange-citrus fl avors, again tangerine and green-orange. The creamy mousse is set against that, as is fi ne, bright freshness and a litheness of body. This is sophisticated aromatically, with backbone and structure, but beautifully understated, always with that mouthwatering phenolic edge of pithiness. Long and rather gastronomic. | 93
House of Arras Blanc de Blancs 2014 (13.2% ABV; dosage 3g/l)
Carr explains that this is a multiregion blend, with a dominance of coastal vineyards with the best Chardonnays. Twelve percent of the base wines were fermented in new French barriques. A most subtle creaminess caresses the
nose, presenting notions of cold, sweet butter alongside lemon pith and peel,
followed by a touch of smoke. The palate adds an additional layer of fl avor, holding melted candle wax and, again, a lovely phenolic edge that seems salty, almost of preserved lemon pith, with the aromatic allure of still-green Seville orange. That saltiness intensifi es as the bubbles burst with liveliness, pulling you upward to the air, while simultaneously anchoring you in coolest freshness and salty soil. Rich autolysis, as in baked rye bread, hits on the fi nish and brims with lemon. A concentrated, complex wine that deserves bottle age, this has yet to blossom but promises to be stupendous. | 96
House of Arras Grand Vintage 2014 (13.3% ABV; dosage 3.1g/l)
A gorgeous note of waxed lemon peel on the nose: rich wax, but vivid, lifted citrus underneath. There are fl ickers of conifer that speak of aromatic, terpenic lift, which is enriched by hints of baked plum as the wine gets warmer. The palate
is rounded, smooth, kissed by oak, presenting an almost-luscious creaminess, with rich fruit and citrus brightness—and yet it remains understated and serene. There is a wonderful core of rich, buttery autolysis, of brioche rind. Most serious, most seductive, wonderfully complex, really long and incisive. Very impressive. | 95
House of Arras Rosé Vintage 2014 (13.5% ABV; dosage 3g/l)
A touch of mint, even of cassis, plays ever so softly on the nose, before Red Delicious apple makes an appearance amid wax and rich citrus peel, both candied and fresh. The palate is soft and rich. There is a lovely pepper-and-salt verve and a rather smooth, soft vibe reminiscent of the texture of freshly whipped cream: airy yet rich. Plum and conifer add aromatic highlights, while a phenolic edge adds even more texture. The fi nish is of serene, aromatic citrus. Resonant, layered, salty, and fruity at the same time. Delicious. | 96
House of Arras EJ Carr Late Disgorged 2007 (12.5% ABV; dosage 2.6g/l)
This is the tenth consecutive release of this wine, fi rst made in 1998. Carr noted, “2007 was really the height of the drought. We had spring frost. The vines did recover, but it aff ected the fl avors of the wine. For that reason, this wine is 78% Chardonnay, but it really seems to be balanced.” Honey, oyster shell, candied lemon, white button mushroom, and dried lemon rind come together on a most appetizing nose. The palate has an unctuous richness, a kiss of maple syrup spice, a textural smoothness that can only result from time. Tasting this explains why the name Arras was chosen, for that “rich tapestry” of colored threads coming together in a full picture. This is smooth and has richness of fl avor but not an ounce of fat. Notions of dark fi r honey set beautifully bitter accents, while a whole hinterland of umami makes this into a savory marvel. A wine to be enjoyed attentively and slowly—so that
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