Leeuwin estate - Art Series - Chardonnay 2016
Leeuwin Estate is one of the five founding wineries of the famous Margaret River district of Western Australia. Family-owned, it is under the direction of two generations who work with a team of highly skilled winemakers to consistently produce wines ranking alongside the world’s finest. In 1972, legendary Napa Valley winemaker, Robert Mondavi, identified the future site of the Leeuwin vineyard as being ideal for the production of premium wine and provided early mentorship to Denis and Tricia Horgan in the transformation of their cattle farm into Leeuwin Estate. Enjoying its first commercial vintage in 1979, Leeuwin was thrust into the international spotlight when Decanter Magazine gave its highest recommendation to the 1981 “Art Series” Chardonnay. The international accolades have continued and Leeuwin now exports to 30 markets. Celebrating the combination of fine wine, food, art and music, Leeuwin features an award-winning restaurant, cellardoor and art gallery.
The “Art Series” represents Leeuwin’s most opulent and age-worthy wines and are identified with paintings commissioned from leading contemporary Australian Artists.
Art Series Chardonnay has a proven track record, the key is old-vine Chardonnay from a 1975 planting at the family’s Stevens Road estate. Following cool destemmed fruit with some skin contact, the juice was settled for three days, racked and inoculated with yeast. 100% of the juice is barrel fermented in new French oak barriques and the lees stirredregularly. After 11 months in barrels, the various components were blended, fined, cold stabilized and bottled. 2016 was an outstanding year, with an early, fine summer with daily sea breezes.
Grape variety: 100% Chardonnay
