A little further down the road, we found ourselves at Leeuwin Estate. A well known vineyard and restaurant, on huge grounds, it is no wonder this place has a reputation. We did not get the chance to eat at the prettily place restaurant, but we did try some tasty wines.
The 2014 Art Series Riesling smelt crisp and tasted dry with lime on the end. This wine was simple, without much acid and a soft watery texture.
I really liked the 2013 Prelude Vineyards Chardonnay. It spent 9 months on French oak. I could smell the oak and orange peel. In the mouth, oak balanced with citrus. This was a simple, balanced, fresh wine with finesse.
The 2012 Art Series Chardonnay was pale in colour with a beautiful nose of ice-cream. In the mouth it was floral then tangy. There was oak but it was more in a wooded taste than a traditional creaminess. It would be interesting to taste this one after cellaring. I preferred the first chardonnay.
The 2011 Siblings Shiraz had a nice berry aroma. Tannins. Wooded, smokiness on the finish then tart. This was very young.
The 2012 Art Series Shiraz again held strawberries on the nose. It was a savoury wine, big but with interesting flavour. This could have been interesting with heavier foods.
The 2011 Prelude Vineyards Cabernet Merlot with 19% merlot and had a bit of malbec in it too. It held similar scents again to the last two wines, was smooth on the front of the palate then spice, chocolate and tannins. It was full with unripe berries. This wine was interesting, more complex than the others. I would like to have tried this opened and decanted. This was my favourite of all the Leeuwin Estate wines I tried.
The final wine for tasting was the 2011 Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon. This was subtler on the nose and more spicy. It spent 23 months on French oak and had strong tannins for it. Berries came first then spice on the end. This wine had lots of length but again it was too young now.
Leeuwin Estate
Stevens Road
Margaret River 6285
(08) 9759 0000
winery@leeuwinestate.com.au
www.leeuwinestate.com.au
Margaret River 6285
(08) 9759 0000
winery@leeuwinestate.com.au
www.leeuwinestate.com.au