Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2002

Wine Spectator Top 100 wines of 2005 Long live the king, and there is no death here. This vintage shows yet again why this is the best chardonnay in Australia... -James Halliday, 97/100 ...one of Australia's most profound Chardonnays, is the 2002 Chardonnay Art Series... -Wine Advocate The 2002 Vintage of this stellar wine will earn the right to be classed amongst the very greatest of its kind... -2005 WINE OF THE YEAR - Jeremy Oliver's 2006 A wine of marvelous richness and unexpected subtlety, this has delicious pear, mineral, gooseberry and lime flavors in profusion, beautifully read more...wrapped in a veil of spicy oak, persisting impressively on the long, long finish. The palate has length of flavor with flowing layers of fruit finishing strong and mouth filling. There is classical sweet malt on the finish with a perceptible flavor of subtle French oak lingering on. This is a very harmonious wine with good ageing potential. Drink now through 2020.     (hide)

IWC 93 (8/2005): Light gold. Tangy, high-pitched aromas of Meyer lemon, pear, apple, spicy Asian basil, vanilla and clove. Round and supple but firmly built, with refreshing, bright flavors of ripe pears, Granny Smith apple and musky yellow plum. There's nothing tropical going on here, just a highly impressive collection of ripe orchard fruits. This has excellent flavor definition and structure, finishing with a brisk note of blood orange and subtle hints of hazelnut and oak spice.

October 2008

WA 92 (10/2005): One of Australia’s most profound Chardonnays, is the 2002 Chardonnay Art Series. Always more backward and built for the long term, the 2002 exhibits buttered pear, honeyed citrus, lemon blossom, and apple-like fruit in a medium to full-bodied format with good acidity as well as a cooler climate mouthfeel and finish. It should drink well for 5-6 years.

October 2008

document.getElementById("NoProductImage").innerHTML = ""; Jeremy Oliver Rating 97!"An alluring bouquet of quince- grapefruit- cumquat and spicy- rather perfumed oak- with lightly herbal undertones of lime juice and wheat meal. Vibrant and creamy- its initially restrained fruit builds steadily and effortlessly towards a lingering crescendo of assertive- powerful stonefruit- citrus and melon chardonnay flavour- remaining exceptionally elegant and seamless. There's a hint of minerality and a suggestion of bacon-like malolactic influence- read more...while its babyfat-like viscosity eases into a lingering finish of tautness and assertive definition"Jeremy Oliver- OnWine.Campbell Mattinson 96 points!"Power- oak- rich flavour and great length. A gorgeous Art Series chardonnay. Banged up with toast and grapefruit and cream- the length and cut of it regal in the extreme. Tremendous.Campbell Mattinson- Wine Front. 9/2/2008. Shows yet again why this is the best Chardonnay in Australia flawless and seamless balance and integration of all of the chardonnay-making techniques without imperilling the elegant stone fruit and melon running through an endless palate. 14.5° alc. Rating 97 Drink 2015 Date Tasted Oct 05 James Halliday Leeuwin Estate "Leeuwin Estate's Chardonnay is- in my opinion- Australia's finest example- based on the wines of the last 20-odd vintages- and it is this wine alone that demands a 5-star rating for the winery. The Cabernet Sauvignon can be an excellent wine with great style and character in warmer vintages- and Shiraz made an auspicious debut. Almost inevitably- the other wines in the portfolio are not in the same Olympian class- although the Prelude Chardonnay and Siblings Sauvignon Blanc are impressive at their lower price level." James Halliday Leeuwin Estate Art Series ChardonnayWhen Penfolds began to create a white wine of the stature and image of Grange- several people asked why they didn't just buy Leeuwin Estate. Arguably Australia's leading white wine- Leeuwin's chardonnay is an explosive mouthful of concentrated- creamy Margaret River chardonnay enhanced with excellent oak. It's our best cellaring chardonnay as well. Jeremy Oliver Purchased by Trish and Denis Horgan- Leeuwin Estate lies just south of the Margaret River township. The Art Series Block 20 vineyard lies on deeply weathered and laterised soils with rocky outcrops of gneiss and ironstone gravels. Pristine Chardonnay fruit characters are preserved throughout vinification. The wine is 100% barrel fermented in selected new French oak and matured in the same barrel for approximately 12 months. These are rare- long-lived- fine-boned Chardonnays with superb fruit definition and clarity. They show a balance between exuberant fruit and savoury complexity. The palate is creamy yet a fine bead of acid cuts a swathe across the palate giving life and incredible length. It develops beautifully with grapefruit/melon aromas and complex lanolin nuances. Andrew Caillard MW    (hide)

October 2008

Rating: 92/100 - As reviewed in Wine Advocate # 161 on Oct-05

Rating: 93/100 - As reviewed by Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar on Jul-05