2016 Leeuwin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Art Series

Saturated ruby. Smoke- and spice-accented red and blue fruits, rose pastille, vanilla and cured tobacco on the highly expressive nose. Palate-staining flavors of ripe cherry, black currant and fruitcake are supported and sharpened by an undercurrent of smoky minerality. Puts on weight with air and finishes appealingly sweet and extremely long, displaying resonating cherry and floral notes and supple, slow-building tannins.

Tasted from a mini sample bottle. Dry-farmed, trained on two wires, a very lean, very gravelly site, south-east facing, super-low-yielding. Berry sizes are a lot smaller so very high skin to juice ratio. Vine vigour throws a lot of canopy so is self-regulating in terms of fruit. Planted 1975 and 1976. Winemaker Tim Lovett uses more powerful, structural oak for Art Series because the fruit has greater capacity and length. Total maturation time is 23 to 24 months, but it’s blended after nine months. Assemblage on blind tasting. 2016 was a classic Cabernet vintage – no rain events, no heatwaves, no cooler temperatures. 85% of their rainfall occurs outside of the growing season. The fruit on the nose of this wine has the power of a soprano diva. This is a massive step up from the Prelude, in fruit intensity and purity, drive, structure, elegance, complexity, precision. I find the tannins here much more refined – not at all drying. Winemaker Tim Lovett describes this as much more structural than the Prelude, but I find that the structure is much less obvious, more integrated, more balanced. The tannins don’t feel awkward and youthful and grappling to hang on to the taster as the Prelude tannins are. Well worth the 70% price premium. The fruit is silk and velvet, up-lit ruby and amethyst gemstone glow, tobacco-leaf scented, fine-ground bay-leaf and cumin pressed into tight blackcurrant leaf-and-fruit laminae. This is vineyard origami, not yet unfolded. (TC)

Impressively curated cabernet with cedar and tobacco aromas framing bright red berries, as well as bergamot, black tea, red plums and violets. The palate has a smooth, succulent and elegantly juicy shape and such fine, taut and layered tannins that carry so long and pure. Superb cab with power and elegance. Best from 2024. Screw cap.