2019 Leeuwin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Art Series

A cool and late vintage in Margaret River, exhibiting more fresh and elegant Cabernet wines in general. Such is the case here with an Art Series Cabernet of lift and finesse. Lithe aromas of bay leaf, sandalwood and baked plum lead the charge, with a swirl of the glass unlocking graphite minerality, campfire ash, subtle tobacco leaf and black tea with an underpinning of saline nori adding umami complexity. Some wet gravel and petrichor notes with air. The palate is similarly lithe and lifted, with a cool mineral feel. It glides through the mouth with baked plum, sandalwood, bay leaf and a minty edge before black tea tannins and fresh minty acidity coil around it all and draw it to a long and elegant close. It's not the most concentrated Art Series Cabernet based on the cool year, but it's packed with charm, finesse and complexity.

2019 was a cool vintage with good amounts of rainfall at the right times, and in the region at large, it will be remembered as the third wettest/coolest vintage since 2006, behind 2017. The lessons learned in 2017 set producers up well for the conditions of the 2019 growing season, and because of this, it is my opinion that the Cabernet wines from this 2019 year are significantly superior to those of 2017. The 2019 Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon is dark-fruited and aromatic, with tar and asphalt, peppercorns and rose oil, petrichor and forest floor. The wine is dark but not brooding (like the 2013 vintage), and its inherent detail and poise are its defining characters. Perhaps those, along with aromatics, are the defining characters of the 2019 vintage at large. The cooler year yielded a long growing season (fruit picked late April, no marri blossoms, some bird pressure), and as such, the tannins had ample time to resolve, without dropping acidity due to inclement heat events, and the same goes for fruit detail. This is a very good to excellent Cabernet vintage when managed diligently in the vineyard.

96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec. Winemakers Tim Lovett and Phil Hutchison. Aged for 22 months in French oak barriques, 50% new. Shaded crimson. Quite a sharp cassis nose. Pyrazines! Nice appetising toastiness on the palate but I'm not at all convinced it's better than its peers. A bit tight and taut on the rather drying end. (JR)