08 Apr 2021

One of the top domaines in Australia and indeed the world, Leeuwin Estate have recently released the latest vintages of their 'Art Series' label.   At the pinnacle of quality and with a new artist designing the labels each year, James Suckling described a previous vintage of the Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon as 'the Mouton-Rothschild of Australia - with a screw cap!'.  

Among these new releases is the 2018 Art Series Chardonnay, which may be their greatest vintage to date.  Scoring 97 points in Decanter Magazine, we can't wait to see what the other major critics make of it when they taste it.

The 2018 Shiraz and 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon are yet to be rated by the critics, but winemaker Tim Lovett has focused increasing love and attention on these reds, with the intention of equalling the ratings for the Chardonnay.

The cask samples which arrived with us back in the depths on an English February were like waft of cool air from the Indian Ocean (which is less than 5km from the estate).  No matter how many times we taste the Art Series, we are still taken aback by their classicism and freshness.  Tasted blind, we could easily place them in Burgundy, the Northern Rhone and Bordeaux.  Only their opulence points to Western Australia's Margaret River region.

What we noticed above all when tasting these the samples was just how much sheer pleasure and enjoyment the Art Series wines offer.  Capturing all of the finesse and elegance of their old world counterparts, there is still something exuberant about these wines which makes them particularly compelling for the summer ahead.

As ever, allocations are extremely limited, so please let us know straight away if you would like to secure some.

You will also find below some library stocks of older vintages of Leeuwin.

Offered pre-landing, available for delivery from July 2021.

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.