LEEUWIN ESTATE ART SERIES SHIRAZ 2019
| Grape: | 98% Shiraz, 2% Malbec |
| Vineyard: | Leeuwin Estate |
| Origin: | Margaret River, Western Australia |
| ABV%: | 13.5% |
| Colour: | Deep ruby red |
| Aromas: | Bright, elegant, and fragrant, the nose has heightened floral notes of violets, lavender, cardamom and pepper medley. The core of fruit is in the line of black cherries and blueberries. Clove, cinnamon, burnt toffee and petrichor provide delicate complex. |
| Flavours: |
Gentle textures, woven layers and bright acidity meet seamlessly. Dense Satsuma plums, redcurrants and raspberries surround the mid palate. Elements of smoked cedar and cracked coffee bean combine with a mineral thread, leading to long structural tannins. |
Winemakers Highlights
Clear and mild late Autumnal weather delivered red wines which display excellent flavour and tannin profiles.
Winter of 2018 was characteristically cold and wet. Pruning conditions were arduous with few clear, rain-free days. It will be reminisced for the weeks of strong west to north westerly winds off the Indian Ocean, with several days of southerly hail to add to the gruelling pruning experience. The mild early spring weather delayed flowering by approximately ten days over much of the vineyard. In late spring and early summer, the weather improved substantially and warm blue sky days were commonplace. A significant 52 mm of rain in late January, preparing the unirrigated vineyards for a perfect finish to ripening.
Vintage commenced in the last week of February with the harvest of the Riesling. In a year with no marri blossom to distract the birds from the grapes, every net on the estate was used and reused. The Cabernet and Shiraz harvest commenced with gusto in mid-April and concluded in the final days of the month.
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 barrels for a further twelve months, resulting in a total of eighteen months of barrel maturation. After assemblage the wine was fined and readied for bottling.
Reviews
“This smells so good: fresh black pepper (so fresh it’s like peppercorns straight from the drying mats). Deep, delicious, meaty sweet fruit. Violets, daphne with a blue purple-fruited lusciousness and yet the wine is, at the same time, dry and savoury. Grounded yet ethereal. Determined yet open. Muscled tight yet fluid. Extraordinary ying-yang balance of opposite but complementary forces.” 17.5 points.
Tamlyn Currin, JancisRobinson.com, 23 April 2022
"A 20% inclusion of whole bunches during fermentation has played a strong hand in elevating this beautiful example of the quality seen in the 2019 vintage. It has such life and vibrancy and that is due in a large part to that whole bunch inclusion. Brilliant bright colour with hues of crimson and purple on the fringes. The palate is in that medium zone with an effortlessly graceful ease about it. Spicy and perfumed with a mix of cherry and plum. Oak, which is a mix of one, two year old and new oak is brilliantly managed to gently coax all that is good from this variety. Love the texture and the long focused chalky feel in the mouth.” 96 points.
Ray Jordan, WinePilot.com, March 2022