Sorry, I have not posted for a while, as I have mainly been drinking wine I already reviewed, but I experienced a mini vertical of the Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay, which is worth while talking about.
There are not many Australian Chardonnays which age well, but the Leeuwin Art Series is one. This tasting included the years 2020, 2013, and 1999.
The 2020 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay is pale in colour. It is quite restrained on the nose. On the palate, many flavours reveal themselves: white flower, white peach, lemon curd, white melon, flint, and marzipan. Very high quality French oak is noticeable. The wine is very focused, and reveals its intensity after some time in the glass. Very complex and long on the finish (97 points).
The 2013 Chardonnay is light gold in colour. Flavours of white peach, citrus, nectarine, and some cashew. This is a powerful wine with a luscious mouthfeel. Acidity is more obvious than in the 2020. This wine is obviously more developed than the 2020, probably drinking at its peak now, and certainly proving this label can be aged (97 points).
The 1999 Chardonnay is different. The colour is an intense yellow. It delivers a big mouthfeel of lemon, melon, pineapple, fig, a hint of butterscotch. In comparison to the first two wines, it feels a little worked and heavy. However, it is a great effort to keep a 25 year old Australian Chardonnay alive and well (95 points).
At some point, I think in the early 2000s, the style of the Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay changed. Prior its fruit flavours were tropical, such as pineapple or yellow peach, and the mouthfeel broader. Since then precision on the palate increased, and citrus and white fruit flavours started to dominate, making the wine closer in style to a top level Burgundy. This was certainly brought out in this small tasting.
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