Chardonnay Art Series, Leeuwin Estate 2020

The 2020 vintage in Margaret River was moderate to warm and will be forever remembered for the incredibly compacted harvest period, which started two weeks earlier than the 2019 harvest before it and was all wrapped up by Easter—that's largely unheard of. The 2020 Art Series Chardonnay leads with power and density, not unlike the 2018 before it. Tight and green in the glass, you get salted pear, white peach, nectarine, red apple skins, preserved citrus and crushed shell. The wine has minerality and tension within the confines of the opulent fruit. Staggering length, as usual. The winemaking remains relatively consistent across the years: hand-picked fruit from Block 20 and 22 (planted in 1976 and 1978, respectively). Thirty percent of the cuvée was whole bunch pressed to 100% new Burgundian oak, while the balance was destemmed, crushed and pressed to 100% new Bordelais oak. Sulfured post-ferment in order to discourage malolactic fermentation, both components remain in barrel for 11 months. Super wine.

It would not surprise me if this is lauded as the great Leeuwin chardonnay yet. You would get no argument from me, but I might wait another six months to make that call. There is elegance and power here. Subtle layered wine. It was a year of great concentration and power. Has that pear and lime character which is part of the DNA. The fruit is generous, especially about the mid palate. Has a subtle and not overstated flinty character with a lift of spice. The oak is brilliantly managed and complementary. It€™s very tight and precise and the whole bunch technique gives it that stalky phenolics character. There€™s a savoury almond meal character on the finish. Incredible length and power here. The minerally character on the finish is quite pronounced. In the top 3 certainly of any Leeuwin chardonnay.