2017 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series
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Tasting notes
The 2017 vintage in Margaret River was a cool one; it was wet and cool and threw up many challenges for producers in the area. Having said that, the success stories are the ones who toiled in the vineyard and made sensible choices regarding crop loads and canopies. So today, at seven years from harvest, the 2017 Art Series Chardonnay is savory and taut and intense. piercing. The structural intensity of this wine—i.e., the phenolics—make an impact on the way it feels in the mouth. It shapes it and makes for firm drinking. The wine is gravelly in its character, rocky almost, with graphite and gravel, a hint of iodine and grapefruit, saline and coffee grounds. Hints of turmeric and saffron accompany the orchard fruit. Sealed under screw cap. This was tasted at the estate in January 2024 as part of the annual vertical of Art Series Chardonnay; the vintage span in 2024 is 1986–2021 (plus the 2023 barrel sample).
Critic scores
James Suckling
Josh Raynolds
More reviews and scores
Shimmering straw-yellow. Vibrant, mineral-accented aromas of white peach, pear, honeydew melon and Meyer lemon, along with a bright floral overtone. Juicy and densely packed, conveying a suave blend of richness and vivacity to the mineral-drenched citrus and orchard fruit and floral flavors. Takes on smoky lees, sweet butter and iodine notes with air and shows superb clarity on the strikingly long finish, which echoes the mineral and floral notes.
Such complexity and resolve make for a very attractive nose with peaches, grapefruit, cedary oak spice, gunflint and wet stones. The palate has a plush, smoothly resolved texture with a rich, creamy texture and all-encompassing, ripe stone-fruit flavors, ahead of a very long, smooth finish. Grilled-hazelnut and apricot-kernel flavors to close. Great to drink now, but certainly a decade of cellaring in the tank, too. Screw cap.
About the producer
Leeuwin Estate is one of Australia’s leading wine producers. Based close to Cape Leeuwin, in the southern reaches of Margaret River, Western Australia, this remote estate is best known for its Art Series wines.