Description
If you tasted this wine blind, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in St Julien or Pauillac. There is such poise and wellcrafted structure to the wine which lift and punctuate the stony, blueberry fruit just perfectly. The main difference is that if you were in St Julien and Pauillac, drinking a wine of this quality, you’d be paying much more! 2017 was a slightly cooler vintage and the expressive fragrance of the wine both on the nose and the palate is fantastic. The bunches are berry sorted and undergo a 5-day cold soak at 10 degrees. Lots of gravel in the soil and lots of small berries amongst the bunches, part in
thanks to the vines being amongst the original plantings and partly thanks to the zero-irrigation practiced, bring a unique and effortless balance and concentration. It’s quite remarkable to see such power combined with such focus and definition. The 50% new oak is perfectly judged. Whilst the Chardonnay grabs all the headlines and glory, this seems to a wine that the shrewdies will latch on to, for its sheer class and quality. Drink from 2024.
Producer Information: Leeuwin Estate
Family owned, Leeuwin Estate, one of the five founding wineries of the now famous Margaret River district of Western Australia, is under the direction of two generations who work with a team of highly skilled winemakers to consistently produce wines ranking alongside the world’s finest. In 1972, legendary Napa Valley winemaker, Robert Mondavi, identified the future site of the Leeuwin vineyard as being ideal for the production of premium wine and provided early mentorship to Denis and Tricia Horgan in the transformation of their cattle farm into Leeuwin Estate.
Enjoying its first commercial vintage in 1979, Leeuwin was thrust into the international spotlight when Decanter Magazine gave its highest recommendation to the 1981 “Art Series” Chardonnay. The international accolades have continued and Leeuwin now exports to 30 markets. Celebrating the combination of fine wine, food, art and music, Leeuwin features an award winning restaurant, cellardoor and art gallery. The Estate is renowned for staging spectacular events and welcoming visitors from around the world.
