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NOTES
Leeuwin Estate, one of the founding wineries of the now famous Margaret River district, consistently produces wines that rank with the worlds finest. In 1972, following an extensive search for the area most suitable to produce the best varietal wines in Australia, legendary American winemaker, Robert Mondavi, identified the future site of the Leeuwin vineyard.
Originally a cattle farm, Leeuwin Estate evolved, under the direction of Denis and Tricia Horgan, with Robert Mondavi acting as consultant and mentor. A nursery was planted in 1974 and the initial vineyards were deep-ploughed, deep-ripped, emptied of stone, planned, pegged, measured, marked and eventually planted by hand over a five year period from 1975.
TASTING NOTES
The colour is intense ruby red with garnet tints. Displaying the classic Cabernet Sauvignon notes evident in the greatest growing years in Margaret River, the bouquet has lifted and intense blackberry, blackcurrant and mulberry fruits, with the enhancement of cedary French oak for complexity, intermingled with spice and dark chocolate. The palate shows a full bodied wine with intense blackberry and blackcurrant fruit with hints of mocha and chocolate that round off the complex flavours. This wine has great fruit length with smooth and silky tannins that provide a soft but lingering finish.
REVIEWS
A reserved, handsomely oaked and cedary cabernet whose restrained berry and plum-like fruit reveals dusty undertones of dried herbs and white cheese mould. Its rather green-edged backbone is smoothed over by its vanilla oak, while it finishes quite edgy, with meaty, rustic influences. 87 Points, Jeremy Oliver, The Australian Wine Annual, 2009
Great colour, really vibrant: pure, focused cabernet fruit bouquet, with a typical savoury edge of black olive and cedar; more cassis on the palate and the oak comes through with ample fine tannins in support. Cork, 13.5% alc. To 2020. 94 Points, James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2009 Edition
The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon "Art Series" is reticent aromatically but presents a nose of roasted herbs, earth, cassis, and black currants. Firm, bordering on hard on the palate, it needs 5-7 years additional bottle age. It appears to have the necessary balance to blossom but is most likely to provide cerebral rather than sensual pleasure. Leeuwin Estate is one of the benchmark wineries of Western Australia. Both reds and whites exhibit cool climate character and European elegance. Dr Jay Miller, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, October 2007
Deep red. Spicy red- and blackcurrant aromas display a youthfully tangy quality, with surprising clarity for a cabernet from a hot vintage. A bit musclebound initially but aeration brought fleshier dark berry, mocha and baking spice flavors. The spice notes repeat on the long, juicy finish, which features a lingering impression of ripe cherry. Give this some time in bottle. 90(+?) Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar Online, July 2007
Upfront, concentrated, sweet cassis fruit. Smooth, velvety, integrated with lovely mint-infused black fruit.
Nick Dumergue, Decanter Magazine, February 2009
Classic notes of lead pencil and black cherries open this elegant entry from Margaret River. Dense and concentrated in the mouth and embellished by hints of vanilla, this wine has a long, complex finish and the ability to improve significantly over the next 5 to 10 years. 90 Points, Wine Enthusiast Online, March 2009
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