Leeuwin Estate 'Art Series' Chardonnay 2021

Scores

98 / 100

"Light straw colour with a reserved lemon/grapefruit aroma, fresh and penetrating, the palate brisk and bright with vibrant acidity and intense grapefruit/lemon flavours that persist the full length of the very long palate. Superb vitality and balance. It promises to reward cellaring too. Tremendously concentrated and compact, with extreme drive and massive persistence, it positively vibrates with energy. Very cellarworthy, too."
- Huon Hooke

98 / 100

"Remarkably complex aromas of dominant stone fruit like nectarine with less of the pear and cut lime character you expect. An intense and powerful wine with a distinctive chalky limestone influence on the palate. Lacks the super intensity of the 2020 yet it has great length and focus. Continues the subtle move to Burgundian styles. This is one of the most delicate of Arft Series chardies. Elements of the 2017 yet there is more power and intensity within its tight frame. Has slightly more phenolic character. The minerally cracked seashell character is clearly evident here. It is a pure with an almost shimmering acidity and precision through to the long finish. One of the more individual of the Leeuwin chardonnays to date."
- Ray Jordan

97 / 100

"The 2021 Art Series Chardonnay leads with a distinctly floral nose: jasmine and white garden rose, wisteria and lemon blossom. The season was a challenging one in Margaret River, defined by the rainfall, which was constant. The temperatures were modest (not cool, as plenty of rain might suggest),and given that the region is so diverse in terms of distances between vineyard areas, this created quite a patchwork of outcomes for producers. On the palate, the wine is powerful and savory—it leans heavily on exotic dry spice and cracked honeycomb, with hints of salted butter on fresh white bread, beeswax and salted pink grapefruit. Stylistically, it is not dissimilar to the 2017; however, the dovetailing of acid and fruit feels seamless and well matched here. The wine is piercing and structural, tightly coiled and almost rigid, in the best of ways. It's an impressive wine, one that, at this stage of its life, is defined by its penetrating acid line."
- Erin Larkin

97 / 100

"Pear, lime, grapefruit, floral too, with a distinct mint/aniseed top note, backed with discreet spicy cinnamon/ginger oak. It’s fresh and lively, quite saline too, flinty and chalky, a honey ginger drink character in the mix, along with a cucumber coolness and biscuit spices, a whole lot of presence and power here, delivered in a kind of understated, but confident way. The finish is very long, and refreshing. Gee, this is good wine. It ripples through the mouth like a flat white stone pitched across a cool lake. That’s an image for you, and I’ll leave you with that."
- Gary Walsh

97 / 100

"There’s always an anticipation when a new vintage arrives. This doesn’t disappoint – it’s archetypal Art Series: powerful, rich and layered with flavour from stone fruit, pink grapefruit and Meyer lemon to a touch of mandarin. The palate builds with creamy lees, oak spice and some phenolics – the oak is superbly integrated, and pure acidity leads this to a persistent finish. Impressive as always."
- Jane Faulkner

Tasting Notes