Leeuwin Estate is one of the founding wineries of the now famous Margaret River district.
 
In 1972, legendary Napa Valley winemaker, Robert Mondavi, first 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 who founded Leeuwin Estate in 1974. The initial vineyards were planted by hand over a five year period from 1975. Maintaining a team of highly skilled and dedicated winemakers, Leeuwin Estate is now under the direction of two generations of the founding family.

The first thing I noticed here was the intensity. The fruit intensity. It’s a striking wine, explosive in a refined way, elegant and textural at once, persistent. Its presence and power can be admired and enjoyed now but wow does this have a future, and a long one. White peach, citrus, pear, sweet cedar and almonds. The whole is more than its parts. It’s beautiful, pure, exemplary. Tasted: Feb 2021; Alcohol: 13.5%; Price: $126.00; Closure: Screwcap; Drink: 2023-2030+; Rated: 96 Points; Campbell Mattinson; The Wine Front

This is the closest I have come to awarding a wine 100 points. Tempted briefly. But sorry guys, I’m philosophically opposed to awarding any wine 100 points. So it gets 99-plus. And having been fortunate to have tasted each Art Series chardonnay, most on release, I’m happy to put my neck out and say this is the finest yet released. It’s a wine that shows the continued pursuit to improve on the near perfection of previous vintages which seems to be the Leeuwin mantra.

Stellar wine from a stellar vintage. The remarkable thing is that this is a wine that gets 100% barrel fermented in new French oak barriques with regular lees stirring for 11 months – and it certainly doesn’t taste excessive, or even slightly oaky. It has such hi-fidelity purity with complex seductive aromatics of vanilla bean and light oatmeal with a cutting minerality. But the palate, oh, the palate. This is where things start to explode and go crazy. Power, poise, and persistence with a dry savouriness balancing the intense ripe fruit. It is such a long finish with a slightly, ever so slightly charry touch completing a remarkable wine. Tasted: Feb 2021; Drink: 2021-2038; Price: $126.00; Rating: 99+ Points; Ray Jordan; Wine Pilot

Cool destemmed fruit with some skin contact. The juice was settled for 3 days, racked and inoculated with yeast. 100% of the juice was fermented in new French oak barriques with the lees stirred regularly. After 11 months in barrels the various components were blended, fined (bentonite, PVPP, milk) and cold stabilized. Bottled 19–21 August 2019. Benchmark pedigree Margaret River chardonnay from the perfect 2018 vintage. Kaffir leaf, ocean spray, nectarine, yellow peach, custard apple and white peach are the start. Saffron curls, vanilla pod and freshly grated nutmeg frame saline acidity, crouched and coiled. Length of flavour extends across the palate in an endless procession of texture and complexity. All of the power, grace and excellence of previous years is here, amplified. Drink to: 2051; Price: $126.00; Date Tasted: Mar 2021; Alcohol: 13.5%; Rating: 98 Points & Special Value Star; Erin Larkin; James Halliday Wine Companion