2017 Leeuwin Estate, Art Series Chardonnay, Margaret River, Australia
Critics reviews
Shimmering straw-yellow. Vibrant, mineral-accented aromas of white peach, pear, honeydew melon and Meyer lemon, along with a bright floral overtone. Juicy and densely packed, conveying a suave blend of richness and vivacity to the mineral-drenched citrus and orchard fruit and floral flavours. Takes on smoky lees, sweet butter and iodine notes with air and shows superb clarity on the strikingly long finish, which echoes the mineral and floral notes.
Tricia and Denis Horgan established the iconic Leeuwin Estate in 1973, making it one of Margaret River’s pioneering producers and, for decades now, one of Australia’s most respected. The Art Series bottlings, especially the Chardonnay, are long-time collectibles in the national market and beyond, having developed a solid reputation for age-worthiness.
With over 120 hectares of vines, Leeuwin is a major player in the region and enjoying world-wide distribution, making them among the easiest high-end Margaret River wines to source. The Art Series Riesling delivers outstanding value, as does the Shiraz, which shows a distinctly cool and restrained character, quite unlike the Australian stereotype.
Drink 2025 - 2035
Josh Raynolds, Vinous.com (July 2021)
The 2017 vintage in Margaret River was cool and wet, and it was the great producers that excelled that year, mainly by virtue of reactive and courageous vineyard management. The wine is closed for now, and it's savoury and slick. It's in a quiet place now but will open up again over time. It's almost rambunctious, which flies in the face of the vintage that birthed it.
The winemaking remains relatively consistent across the years: hand-picked fruit from Block 20 and 22 (planted in 1976 and 1978, respectively). Thirty per cent of the cuvée was whole bunch pressed to 100% new Burgundian oak, while the balance was destemmed, crushed and pressed to 100% new Bordelais oak. Sulfured post-ferment to discourage malolactic fermentation, both components remain in barrel for 11 months. The 2017 ferment was fully inoculated.
This tasting was part of an annual vertical tasting at the estate, with both winemakers (Tim Lovett and Phil Hutchinson), viticulturist (David Winstanley) and owner Simone Horgan in presence. There has never been a better insight into how these Chardonnays age and evolve. The move to screw cap has revolutionized the consistency bottle to bottle and has made a big impact on the age-ability of the wines. These are powerful, long-lived Chardonnays that evolve gracefully and slowly over time.
Drink 2023 - 2047
Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate (July 2023)
About this WINE
Leeuwin Estate
Leeuwin Estate was purchased by Perth businessman Denis Horgan in the Margaret River region with a view to utilising it for cattle grazing. That was in 1969, but 3 years later Robert Mondavi visited the farm and immediately spotted the potential for wine production.
The farm quickly assumed the mantle of Australia's finest Chardonnay producer and its Cabernet Sauvignon became one of Western Australia's most sought-after reds. Some of the lowest yields in Australia and a near-perfect microclimate lie at the root of this estate`s success.
Oz Clarke has described the Chardonnay as Australia's "Montrachet", and few would beg to differ.
Margaret River
Located on the most south-westerly point of Australia, three hours’ drive south of Perth, the Margaret River region sprang to life during the 1960s and 1970s as a result of Professor Harold Olmo’s and Dr John Gladstone’s research into the region’s viticultural potential. Consequently Vasse Felix was planted in 1967, Moss Wood in 1970 and Cullen in 1971. Since then the plantings have grown exponentially, while the number of wineries has increased six-fold. This explosion of wineries has perhaps been to the detriment of the wine quality.
Bounded to the west by the Indian Ocean and the 90km Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin promontory, the region enjoys a benign if damp maritime climate in which the vines rarely shut down, causing disrupted flowering (exacerbated by strong, westerly sea winds). Over the growing season it’s 16 percent hotter than in Coonawarra and 7% than the Médoc.
The Cape ridge is made up of lateritic clay topsoils over weathered granite and gneiss, giving fruit with a relatively high pH. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most fancied variety,producing a lush, early drinking style, followed by Shiraz, Chardonnay and Sémillon.
Recommended Producers: Cullen, McHenry Hohnen Vintners, Moss Wood, Cape Mentelle and Voyager Estate.
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.
Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.
Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.
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Description
The 2017 vintage in Margaret River was cool and wet, and it was the great producers that excelled that year, mainly by virtue of reactive and courageous vineyard management. The wine is closed for now, and it's savoury and slick. It's in a quiet place now but will open up again over time. It's almost rambunctious, which flies in the face of the vintage that birthed it.
The winemaking remains relatively consistent across the years: hand-picked fruit from Block 20 and 22 (planted in 1976 and 1978, respectively). Thirty per cent of the cuvée was whole bunch pressed to 100% new Burgundian oak, while the balance was destemmed, crushed and pressed to 100% new Bordelais oak. Sulfured post-ferment to discourage malolactic fermentation, both components remain in barrel for 11 months. The 2017 ferment was fully inoculated.
This tasting was part of an annual vertical tasting at the estate, with both winemakers (Tim Lovett and Phil Hutchinson), viticulturist (David Winstanley) and owner Simone Horgan in presence. There has never been a better insight into how these Chardonnays age and evolve. The move to screw cap has revolutionized the consistency bottle to bottle and has made a big impact on the age-ability of the wines. These are powerful, long-lived Chardonnays that evolve gracefully and slowly over time.
Drink 2023 - 2047
Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate (July 2023)
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