Art Series Chardonnay 2020 Leeuwin Estate

Professional reviews

Robert Parker (98)

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. Sulfured post-ferment in order to discourage malolactic fermentation, both components remain in barrel for 11 months. Super wine.

James Suckling (97)

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. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Jancis Robinson (17)

Sour cream dusted with light-green florals. Understated to the point of introversion but not austere. The sour-cream note on the nose brings a carefully sculpted richness, curve and depth on the palate to which pan-warmed pistachio and cobnut notes bring a nutty dimension. There's a very soft haze of cedary spices, a razor blade of lime-saturated acidity running the length, and pressed-linen texture that folds into the finish. You could drink this now, but it will go the distance.