About The Wine

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, cellar door, and art gallery. The Estate is renowned for staging spectacular events and welcoming visitors from around the world.

Leeuwin Estate releases wines under the Art Series, Prelude Vineyards, and Siblings labels. The “Art Series” represents Leeuwin’s most opulent and age-worthy wines and is identified with paintings commissioned from leading contemporary Australian Artists. Prelude Vineyards wines are made from fruit-producing the most readily expressive wines, with the objective that they will drink well soon after release, whilst the Siblings label celebrates family lineage and the three generations now leaving their footprints on Leeuwin Estate. They all share a place amongst the great wines of Australia, receiving much international acclaim and attention. Leeuwin’s Art Series Chardonnay and Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon are included in the wine auction house, Langton’s, prestigious classification. 

Tasting notes: 97% Cabernet Sauvignon 3% Malbec. Deep, dark, and black core of fruit centered upon currants, blueberries, dark cherries, and cassis. Black cardamom, nutmeg, tobacco, cumin, and well-integrated oak surround and support an incredibly rich dense nose. Impressive weight and texture are at the forefront, powerfully fruited in the black and blue fruit spectrum combine with cacao, roasted coffee bean, and anise. The length is infinite and defined by bright acidity, powder-like tannins, and diligent oak.

Reviews

This was a freak vintage in the hands of many winemakers in WA, capable of power, balance, ripeness, and glory. This has pomegranate, red licorice, and peppered raspberry. The fruit flavors, while slinky and seductive, are not the major player here. And that is saying something. The key to the brilliance of this wine, like the '14, the '10, and to some extent the '05 before it, is the texture. The tannins. They are tightly woven, very fine, and serve to support the fruit and the acid. This wine is built on a stable scaffold of tannin that both cushions the experience and defines it. What a wine. *Gold* ~97 James Halliday

Elegant, medium-bodied, with cardamom and dried herb hints to the bitter chocolate-edged blackcurrant fruit, with suggestions of riper cassis. Lovely freshness, showing ripe but present fine-grained tannins in this outstanding Margaret River Cabernet vintage. Classy and controlled. Bordelaise-coopered French oak barriques discreetly buff and extend the fruit on a tapered finish, with cigar box and cedar resonance to the back palate. ~95 Decanter

A complex and layered nose of blackcurrants, fresh mint, pine cone, and red licorice. Medium- to full-bodied with fine, structured tannins. Succulent and well constructed with a solid core of black fruit. Leafy herbs and black tea character add welcome depth. Delicious. So attractive right now but will age wonderfully. 97% cabernet sauvignon and 3% malbec. Drink or hold. Screw cap. ~95 James Suckling

~95 The Wine Front

This is a sturdy, plush vintage of Art Series with a long life ahead of it. It's a touch austere at the moment, with some sweet oak showing and pinched acidity, but the distinctive varietal and regional character still shines. A lovely, warming earthy spice backs sleek aromas of black cherry, cassis, cedar, mint, olive brine, and sea spray. Tannins are spicy and sinewy, muscular but still in a supportive role, allowing the juicy fruit to star. ~94 Wine Enthusiast

There's 3% Malbec in the blend too, in a wine from a top vintage for Margaret River, with a long, rain-free autumn allowing for slow, full ripening. The Art Series comes from selected parcels of fruit, the wine spends full 22 months in the barrel before bottling. Dark, saturated, and dense in both color and aroma, there's loads of spice and cedar and a core of pure blackcurrant. In the mouth, the creaminess of the texture impresses first, with a supple flood of black fruit that is ripe, fleshy, and sweet. Mocha coffee and dark, roasted spices add a lot of depth and drama, then the finish picks up much more of the grippy, but fine tannin and a rasp of refreshing plum-skin tart acidity. Long and very pure in the finish, with cellaring potential. ~94 Tom Cannavan

Dense and wonderfully juicy, with the tannic structure drawing you into a mix of intense cassis, huckleberry, clove, chai tea, dried black olive and smoked paprika. Presents a pretty thread of dried rose petal, with dried herbs lingering on the long, expressive finish. ~93 Wine Spectator