LEEUWIN ESTATE ART SERIES SHIRAZ 2018
| Grape: | 93% SHIRAZ, 6% MALBEC, 1% VIOGNIER |
| Vineyard: | Leeuwin Estate |
| Vintage: | 2018 |
| Origin: | Margaret River, Western Australia |
| ABV%: | 14% |
| Colour: | Deep ruby red |
| Aromas: |
Dense, dark and intense nose, rich with blueberries, mulberries and plums. Sweet perfume lift provided by violets and five spice. Further complexing notes of blackpepper, camphor, mushroom and gameiness increase the bandwidth on the nose. |
| Flavours: |
Capacity, dimension and texture outline the palate. A matrix of blueberries and redcurrants feature through a background of dark chocolate, cracked coffee bean and tobacco. There is overall energy on the palate highlighted by a vibrant and youthful acid line, finishing with structural chalky tannins. |
Winemakers Highlights
Winter of 2017 was typically wet and windy. Chardonnay was the first variety to experience bud burst in late August, followed by the Riesling and Cabernet through September. Flowering in all varieties was approximately ten days earlier than in vintage 2017. Conditions in spring were generally mild, with the usual showery and sunny periods resulting in excellent set across most varieties.
Temperatures throughout summer were warm, with very few hot days. Veraison occurred two weeks earlier than in 2017. 2018 was a spectacular year for flowering of the local Marri trees, which kept birds away from the ripening vineyards. Harvest commenced in the Riesling in the middle of February, followed by Chardonnay a week later and Sauvignon Blanc in the first weeks of March. Shiraz and Cabernet harvest commenced in the last week of March and into the third week of April. After early leaf removing across the fruit zone to let in the sunshine, and thinning of fruit where necessary, the reds were able to hang well into a rain free April. The slow Autumn ripening allowed Shiraz and Cabernet to develop intense and vibrant fruit flavours with excellent tannin ripeness.
An excellent vintage with standout varieties being Riesling, Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Fruit was fermented in both open and closed fermenters with 20% being whole bunches to enhance vibrancy and lift. Ferment vessels were plunged and pumped over daily and the wine run to new, one and two year old barrels for malolactic fermentation. The wine underwent malolactic in barrels and after six months the various components were blended and matured in French barrels for a further twelve months. After assemblage the wine was fined and readied for bottling.
Reviews
"Tasted from a 10-cl sample bottle. 93% Shiraz, 6% Malbec, 1% Viognier. Machine-picked and fermented in open- and closed-top fermenters, 20% whole bunch, daily pumpover and plunging. After primary fermentation, the wine was run to new (20%), one- and two-year-old barrels for malo. After six months it was blended and aged in French barrels for another 12 months, medium and medium-plus toast. Fined with egg white. Bottled 10–12 December 2019. Not yet released. TA 7.17 g/l, pH 3.32.
Dark-blue fruit on the nose, smudged with kohl and sketching charcoal. They suggest five spice, and I can get that pretty much exactly. Lots of black-olive tapenade bitterness and meatiness building into game and char and eucalypt and iron. Delicate violet florals dance over the rain-wet-wrought-iron clench of the finish. Tannins are both rugged and polished – cowboy movie star. A hint of Moroccan leather dipped in midnight-blue ink. Long and dramatic but elegant."
"Slow autumn ripening and 20% whole-bunch fruit has produced a gorgeously perfumed, elegantly structured Shiraz with savoury charcuterie undertones. Immersive, powdery tannins and gravelly, ironstone acidity lend impetus and animation to the palate-cleaving black berry, currant and bilberry fruit. Black pepper, clove, cardamon and five-spice notes linger on the youthfully taut, fresh finish. A terrific vintage for this hidden gem.
Drinking Window 2021 - 2030"