2019 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series
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Tasting notes
A vibrant nose opens with golden citrus and orchard fruit: orange zest, nectarines and kumquat. There’s also a dusty mineral quality alongside crushed stone, nutmeg, cinnamon spice and white pepper. With air it becomes more botanical: floral notes and dried herbs emerge over time. On the palate the ripe fruit is accompanied by a distinct, mouth-watering acidity and salinity. The finish, immensely long and lavish, is layered and complex with an attractive savoury profile, as well as tinglingly tart fruit notes. A beautifully composed Chardonnay that will unfurl and open even more with further bottle age.
Critic scores
Erin Larkin, Halliday Wine Companion
Tamlyn Currin, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Fermented and aged for 11 months in new French oak. Buttery nose with cooked fruit. Leesy, textural and with a strong hard-cheese flavour. Esoteric, tight, perhaps too much dairy. (RH)
The 2019 Art Series Chardonnay is filling out beautifully, within the confines of its svelte, mineral form. The vintage was cooler and later than either of the vintages either side, and the wines are aromatic and detailed by virtue of that. I'd still recommend leaving this wine in bottle for another couple of years; they are so slow to evolve that the primary fruit remains vital for at least the first decade. The benefit of waiting gives you extra complexity layered over the fruit, which blooms and plumes with time. The winemaking remains relatively consistent across the years: hand-picked fruit from Block 20 and 22 (planted in 1976 and 1978, respectively). Up to 30% 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 in order to discourage malolactic fermentation, both components remain in barrel for 11 months.
Some wood and cedar/oak notes on the nose, with spice and peach notes underneath. Plenty of ripe fruits on the palate, still with freshness beneath it and good intensity of fruit, and in a good place. The nuttiness really comes through on the finish which adds another dimension. (AC)
About the producer
Leeuwin Estate is one of Australia’s leading wine producers. Based close to Cape Leeuwin, in the southern reaches of Margaret River, Western Australia, this remote estate is best known for its Art Series wines.