2020 Leeuwin Estate 'Art Series' Chardonnay Margaret River

Winemaker Notes:  Power and presence delight, then energy and vitality are the thread throughout the aromas lifting from the glass. Lemon curd, fresh nashi pear and citrus blossom create the shape and frame aromatically, with layered undercurrents of vanilla bean, patisserie, tea leaf, and flint nuances. The palate is precise, focused and fine with delicately woven texture. Juicy white peach combines with pear at the core. Harmony, elegance and vibrancy sew all elements together, with a saline and mineral finish that is the hallmark of this classic 2020 vintage.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM


Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - "The 2020 vintage in Margaret River was moderate to warm and will be forever remembered for the incredibly compacted harvest period, which started two weeks earlier than the 2019 harvest before it and was all wrapped up by Easter—that's largely unheard of. The 2020 Art Series Chardonnay leads with power and density, not unlike the 2018 before it. Tight and green in the glass, you get salted pear, white peach, nectarine, red apple skins, preserved citrus and crushed shell. The wine has minerality and tension within the confines of the opulent fruit. Staggering length, as usual. The winemaking remains relatively consistent across the years: hand-picked fruit from Block 20 and 22 (planted in 1976 and 1978, respectively). Thirty percent 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."


Decanter - "This vintage is a triumph, with firm fruit surrounded by a rigid suit of armor that compresses its flanks and ratchets up the drama. This adds immeasurable length to the flavor without any diminuendo in power or persistence. The fruit is cradled with beautiful blonde oak and shot through with sublime pith and herb details allowing the flavors to transcend expectation."


James Suckling - "Tauter than vintages of yore, boasting complex aromas of pear distillate, citrus verbena, nougat, cashew, cedar-tinged oak and succulent white peach. Immaculately constructed, pure and rather wonderful. Founded on a tensile stream of pungent mineral, transcendental poise and scintillating length. There is little out of place here. Superb New World chardonnay."


Wine Enthusiast - "Vibrant lemon, honeydew melon, salty sea shell and toast open this unmistakably Margaret River Chard. A mineral streak of saline acidity crackles through the middle of the rich, textural mouthfeel, streamlining and providing refreshment amid the toast and lees characters. An impressive wine that deftly demonstrates this classic producer’s—as well as this region’s—Chardonnay prowess."