2002 Art Series Chardonnay
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Tasting notes
25% went through malo. The bottle was originally sealed under cork but library wines such as these have been resealed with screwcaps (and the addition of 15 ppm SO2) – a process that has taken 2 years, doing 5 dozen per day. A slight buttery note. Very ripe citrus, orange zest and really spicy. Rich and generous. Broader than the 05. Toasty on the finish as the fruit is showing the effects of oxidation in that breadth. I may be being optimistic about the drink dates but it has had that addition of sulphur – and the 1987 was an object lesson in how well the Leeuwin Chardonnay can age in most vintages. (JH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
TA 7.2 g/l. 100% new French oak barrel fermented. A bit oxidative (cork sealed, unlike the more recent vintages). Shame – the decay is tangible, especially compared to the screwcapped 2005. (RH)
Medium body and refined but definitely richer than the norm for a fine Australian Chardonnay nowadays. Still some complexity yet to develop. Very appealing and ticks all the boxes but there are few really subtle nuances at present. (JR)
2002 Art Series Chardonnay gives aromas of preserved ginger and mandarin peel with nuances of wet stones, brine and a pleasantly musky almost mushroom character. Crisp, a bit less rich and silken than the 2005, this has a long, chalky finish. Drink it now to 2015+. “Back in the 1970s Margaret River was dying – the wine business established it,” Leeuwin Estate’s Denis Horgan told me as we gazed over his impressive winery, restaurant and concert hall operation. “This area used to have one of the highest unemployment rates in the country previously.” Have a brief drive around Margaret River and its environs and you’ll soon know that the region’s lifeblood these days is wine and its heart is Horgan’s Leeuwin Estate, established in 1975. Never one to do things by half, Horgan’s continually high standards at Leeuwin maintains it as one of the region’s benchmarks. Since Bob Cartwrights’s retirement as Chief Winemaker, Paul Atwood, who is a bit of an institution himself having already made wine there for more than 13 years, has adeptly filled his shoes. Prelude Chardonnay is made just like the Art Series but is blended from a selection of cuvees for earlier drinking. It receives no indigenous ferments and no oxidative handling. The key difference is that there is more forward fruit in Prelude than the Art Series, which is of course designed to age. About 2/3 of the total Chardonnay blocks are fermented in 100% new oak, so that equates to around 40% new oak on the Prelude and it usually spends about 1 year in barrel. The Chardonnays don’t normally go through malo-lactic but for example Paul told me they did use 25% in 2006 because it was a cool vintage. The final difference is that Prelude uses some purchased fruit whereas Art Series is always 100% estate grown. Importer: Old Bridge Cellars, Napa, CA; www.oldbridgecellars.com
About the producer
Leeuwin Estate is one of Australia’s leading wine producers. Based close to Cape Leeuwin, in the southern reaches of Margaret River, Western Australia, this remote estate is best known for its Art Series wines.