Leeuwin Art Series: Latest releases, including possibly their greatest ever Chardonnay (99 pts)
""It would not surprise me if this was considered the greatest Leeuwin chardonnay yet. 99 points" - Ray Jordan, Business News
With a short lull in Bordeaux 2022 releases, we finally had time to taste samples of Leeuwin Estate's most recent vintages. What a treat they were! We now offer the 'Art Series' 2020 Chardonnay, 2022 Riesling, 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2020 Shiraz, all with great confidence that you will love the wines.
A complete change in style after being immersed in claret since April, the four Art Series wines showed vibrant, pure fruit and a restrained, compact character on the palate that gave way to some deeply impressive intensity of flavour, practically exploding on the palate. Despite this, they are all perfectly balanced, with three of the wines at a modest 13.5% Abv (the Riesling is 12%) and fresh acidity in the reds (at a pH of 3.4, lower than many Bordeaux 2022 reds). Last year we compared them to their classic counterparts from France. The comparison stands, but the bright, opulent fruit is unmistakable as coming from anywhere but Western Australia's Margaret River.
Each wine performs beautifully at its price level, but the 2020 Chardonnay is in a league of its own, with a mind-blowingly intense struck match character (more firecracker than match!) and an awesome saline character that goes on and on. The 2022 Riesling has riper, more tropical aromas on the nose compared to last year's pleasingly austere 2021 release. The '22 has layers of lime, kiwi, mandarin, and sherbet aromas, but the palate is as focused as ever, with laser-like acidity.
The 2020 Shiraz must be the Platonic ideal of this variety, again with subtle but perfectly defined aromas. Complex fruit and spice notes (nutmeg, black pepper and star anise) are to the fore, but there are also feint aromas of blood, iodine and a touch of sweaty saddle in the background, suggesting this will develop beautifully. Completing the Art Series range, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is alive with more of that intense salinity, framed by powerful but perfectly ripe tannins.
There is only one review from the mainstream critics so far, but the Australian wine press have awarded a slew of high scores, including 99 points for the Chardonnay, described as "the greatest yet". As ever, allocations are very limited, so please let us know straight away if you would like to secure some.
NB below, you will also find listed our stocks of older vintages.
Offered ex-cellar, expected in the UK from September 2023.
Producer Profile
Leeuwin Estate, Margaret River, WA
Denis Horgan established Leeuwin Estate in 1973, with the express intention of producing world-class wines. One of the flagship wineries in Margaret River, 280km south of Perth, Leeuwin has also put itself on the map as an open-air concert venue with its own art gallery.
Each Art Series release features a work by an Australian artist, earning it the sobriquet 'Australia's Mouton'. Art Series Chardonnay was voted the greatest white wine in the world by Decanter magazine as far back as 1982.
Head winemaker Tim Lovett has been in charge since 2010 and has been working hard to bring the red wines up to the stellar level of the Chardonnay.
The Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon vines are planted on free-draining gravel soils, reminiscent of the Haut-Médoc. The wine itself reminds us of a Pauillac or St-Julien, with a cool, balanced style. Despite spending 23 months in 30-50% new oak, the effect is a balanced wine with structured tannins which will age for 20 years or more. The Art Series Chardonnay spends 11 months in oak, but still has a fine line of acidity and minerality placing it firmly in a cool climate in any blind tasting.
| RED | 2016 | 24 cases | Leeuwin Estate - Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon | 75cl | £420 per case of 12 | Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 / 24 cases / 75cl £420 per case of 12 |
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| RED | 2016 | 6 cases | Leeuwin Estate - Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon | Magnum | £495 per case of 6 | Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 / 6 cases / Magnum £495 per case of 6 |
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| RED | 2017 | 15 cases | Leeuwin Estate - Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon | 75cl | £408 per case of 12 | Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 / 15 cases / 75cl £408 per case of 12 |
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| WHITE | 2017 | 1 case | Leeuwin Estate - Art Series Chardonnay | 75cl | £695 per case of 12 | Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2017 / 1 case / 75cl £695 per case of 12 |
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| RED | 2018 | 5 cases | Leeuwin Estate - Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon | 75cl | £380 per case of 12 | Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 / 5 cases / 75cl £380 per case of 12 |
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Tasting Notes"97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec. After individual berry sorting and cold soaking, fermentation took place in closed static fermenters at temperatures between 26 °C–30 °C with extraction by pumping over each individual parcel three times daily. After malolactic fermentation entirely in barrels and nine months of barrel maturation, separate parcels were blended for further maturation in French bordelaise-coopered barriques with seasonal rackings. The wine spent a total of 22 months in oak. Truly elegant in every way. One sip of this wine and I can feel its beauty. It has a pure-fruited translucency and the whisper of pine needles, a mint-cold freshness, tannins reaching long, tenacious, slender from top to bottom, embedded through the fruit. A wine with a sweet heart, taut purpose, exquisitely formed clarity. 17.5 points." Jancisrobinson.com (TC), Apr 2022 |
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| RED | 2018 | 30 cases | Leeuwin Estate - Art Series Shiraz | 75cl | £222 per case of 12 | Leeuwin Estate Art Series Shiraz 2018 / 30 cases / 75cl £222 per case of 12 |
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Tasting Notes"Since Tim arrived at the winery a lot more attention to detail has been focused on the red wines and the quality of juice now being produced is outstanding. Tim is a huge fan of this varietal and a firm believer of its great potential in the Margaret River. The cooler nights, inspired by the maritime influence, bring a lift and a fragrance to the wine, which remind one of northern Rhône examples of this variety. Around 20% whole bunch is used, further adding lift and energy. The oak is a mix of new, I year and 2-year old barriques. This is a very stylish, refined wine of both depth and precision. Astonishing value. Drink from 2024." Importer's note. |
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| RED | 2019 | 5 cases | Leeuwin Estate - Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon | 75cl | £480 per case of 12 | Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 / 5 cases / 75cl £480 per case of 12 |
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| WHITE | 2019 | 1 case | Leeuwin Estate - Art Series Chardonnay | 75cl | £650 per case of 12 | Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2019 / 1 case / 75cl £650 per case of 12 |
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Tasting Notes"2019 was an excellent vintage in the Margaret River region. When making the blend for this wine, Leeuwin’s Senior Winemaker Tim Lovett picks the wines that are late bloomers in terms of flavour development, so giving the Art Series Chardonnay its longevity. The wines from blocks 20 and 22 consistently form the Art Series. Depending on the growing season, wine from some additional blocks may also make the grade. Cool destemmed fruit held on skins was combined with components of whole-bunch-pressed parcels. The juice was settled for 12–36 hours, racked and inoculated with yeast. 100% of the juice was barrel fermented in new French oak barriques and the lees were stirred regularly. After 11 months in barrels, the various components were blended, fined, cold stabilised and bottled. Masses of green-citrus-pressed acidity and tense smoke funk. Broom flowers, green melon. A rectangular wine. Feels as if it’s been hewn from stone, and only at the end is a tease of the honey and oat cream that will develop as it ages. I wouldn't go near this now, and I would probably decant, but it is difficult to assess such a complex wine from such a tiny sample. It needs time to open. 2024-2030. 17++ points." Jancisrobinson.com (TC), Apr 2022------"Preservation of pristine fruit characters through vinification and maturation remains at the heart of winemaking. This of course starts in the vineyard where observations, reaction and mitigation of environmental patterns are key to vineyard management practices. The vineyard blocks have a north facing aspects and the rows run in an east-west direction. The morphology of the Gingin clone sees the berries ripen differently. The smaller berries usually possess slightly higher sugars and acidity. Vintage takes place in mid-February to early March and the grapes (about 2-3 kilos per vine) are hand-harvested when they have reached a point of ‘energy, bone and pop!’ This translates to intense pure fruit aromas, richness of flavour, fine al dente textures and fresh indelible acidity. These are the hallmark qualities of Gingin clone chardonnay. I have often wondered at the clone’s provenance and passing resemblance to Meursault. Pale colour. Intense lemon curd, grapefruit, peach, tropical fruit aromas with underlying roasted cashew/ hazel nut notes. Lovely grapefruit, lemon curd, tropical fruits, fine persistent chalky textures, attractive mid plate volume and fresh long indelible acidity. Finishes al dente, with savoury oak note. Still elemental but wonderfully balanced with the fruit density and torque to last the distance. Now – 2036. 98+ points. Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal, Mar 2022 |
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| RED | 2019 | 2 cases | Leeuwin Estate - Art Series Shiraz | 75cl | £240 per case of 12 | Leeuwin Estate Art Series Shiraz 2019 / 2 cases / 75cl £240 per case of 12 |
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| WHITE | 2020 | 5 cases | Leeuwin Estate - Art Series Chardonnay | 75cl | £840 per case of 12 | Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2020 / 5 cases / 75cl £840 per case of 12 |
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| WHITE | 2020 | 14 cases | Leeuwin Estate - Art Series Riesling | 75cl | £160 per case of 12 | Leeuwin Estate Art Series Riesling 2020 / 14 cases / 75cl £160 per case of 12 |
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| RED | 2020 | 5 cases | Leeuwin Estate - Art Series Shiraz | 75cl | £300 per case of 12 | Leeuwin Estate Art Series Shiraz 2020 / 5 cases / 75cl £300 per case of 12 |
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| WHITE | 2022 | 2 cases | Leeuwin Estate - Art Series Riesling | 75cl | £240 per case of 12 | Leeuwin Estate Art Series Riesling 2022 / 2 cases / 75cl £240 per case of 12 |
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