Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2015

There’s no hiding that this is consistently one of our favourite Australian Chardonnays. This 2015 release is no different: a wine of many parts coming together in a rich yet layered and focused style. Indeed it seems slightly richer than the 2014 release but perhaps only marginally. The wine sees 100% new French oak for one year but is not put through malolactic fermentation in a deliberate move to retain crisp natural acidity to bring added brightness and crunch to the wine. It is then put in tank for 11 months to homogenise with gentle lees stirring used to enhance depth of flavour and bring about notes of meal, oat and biscuit which are all evident in the back half of the palate. Perhaps these savoury notes will become more evident with age but for now the wine is all about ripe stone fruits (peach and nectarine) with definite grapefruit succulence that Margaret River is known so well for. Richness is further enhanced by pockets of melted butter and nougat. Deliciously complex and super long. – Ches Cook, FWC.