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.

This is a case of the planets aligning with one of the great names in Australian Chardonnay from what I think is the finest vintage in the history of West Australian modern winemaking. This is quintessential Leeuwin, controlled power, but with the subtle finesse and delicacy that is the signature of this great vintage. The nose is a wonderful mix of quince paste, cut lime, spice, grapefruit, and a subtle dusting of powdery talc. The palate captures the vintage so well. The flavour profile gradually builds and accelerates with tremendous drive through to a powerfully long finish, which is an essential part of the Leeuwin DNA. And yet all of this is done with such beautiful restraint and a controlled structure. It’s such a young wine at the minute, but you know that deep within there’s real power and latent energy that we’ll see it develop so typically into a great mature Chardonnay with extended cellaring. Up there with the finest releases. Date: May 2026; Drink by: 2026-2046; Rating: 99 Points; Ray Jordan

Light bright yellow, a very youthful colour for a 2023, and the bouquet is likewise fresh but also seriously detailed, with creamy lees, malt, nougat, beeswax and custard apple aromas, the palate similarly complex and profound, with a chew of oaky tannins that lingers on the aftertaste. Long, long carry. A very powerful chardonnay, searingly intense and strongly structured, and needing more time yet to come into full harmony. Outstanding. Rating: 98 Points; Huon Hooke; The Real Review

As you’d expect from an excellent vintage and a producer of exceptional chardonnay, this is superb. It glimmers light straw and olive in the glass, and it’s superbly modulated – from the flavours to the texture. It is quite a pared-back style, tight and linear with restrained power, savoury and moreish. Just another cracking Art Series Chardonnay. Rating: 97+ Points; James Halliday Wine Companion

Lime and finger lime, Solo! (though ideally don’t slam it down fast), fresh pineapple, pear, plenty of clove and ginger oak, aniseed, a light flinty smokiness, honey cashew and white flower perfume. It’s medium-bodied, there’s a richness to fruit and oak here, yet it stays tight and controlled, with pitch-perfect acidity, a light chalkiness to texture, closing with superb length. Power with precision. You can drink it now, sure, though ideally wait for all the components to mesh. It’s an outstanding release. Date: Mar 2026; Alcohol: 13.5%; Price: $159; Closure: Screwcap; Drink: 2028-2038+; Rated: 97 Points; Gary Walsh; The Wine Front