Wine Article
2016 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series
Last edited on 5/6/2019 by LindsayM
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2016 Art Series Chardonnay
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Alcohol: 13.5%
Average Brix: 23.0 - 23.5
Oak Maturation: 11 months
Final pH:
Final Acid: 7.80G/L
Harvest Date:
Bottling Date: 22/08/17 - 25/08/17
Release Date: 01/04/2019
Cellaring Potential: 15 - 20 years
TASTING NOTE
The nose is energetic, precise and finite with remarkable clarity and purity. Lime, lemon pith, grapefruit and Nashi pear are the hallmark fruits present. Delicate notes of jasmine, cardamom pod, flint, wet stone, blanched almonds and rice wafer give subtle complexity in the background. The shape and frame of the palate is the highlight; volume, combined with length and a mineral acid line threaded in between. Grapefruit, pear and lemon are set in the foreground amongst nougat, brioche, cinnamon and graphite. Wine with incredible poise and presence, with a long life ahead.
THE YEAR
Winter and spring rainfall throughout 2015 was modest and below average, before a fine Spring, with good conditions for flowering through November. Early summer was generally fine, with a daily sea breeze. January and February temperatures were slightly above average, but with only several non-concurrent hot days. A welcome and significant 90 mm of rain fell in January, setting up unirrigated vineyards for the remainder of the season. March and April temperatures were close to average; reflected in the slowing down of ripening over mid late vintage. 2016 was one of the best all round vintages seen, with Chardonnay and Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon standout varieties. Resulting wines show very good palate density and intense varietal lifts.
VINIFICATION
Cool destemmed fruit with some skin contact. The juice was settled for 3 days, racked and inoculated with yeast. 100% of the juice was barrel fermented in new French oak barriques and the lees stirred regularly. After 11 months in barrels the various components were blended, fined, cold stabilized and bottled.
Intense exuberant but beautifully defined fruit is balanced by savoury oak complexity. The palate is creamy yet a fine bead of acid cuts a swathe across the palate giving life and incredible length. With age the wine becomes a harmonious whole with beautifully defined grapefruit/melon aromas and complex lanolin nuances. The palate is richer and fleshier but remains tightly bound by mineral acidity. Leeuwin Estate seeks to preserve the pristine fruit characters of Chardonnay throughout vinification and maturation. This is achieved through minimal or gravity fed handling, meticulous attention to detail and no malo-lactic fermentation. The wine is 100% barrel-fermented in selected new French oak and matured in the same barrel. Battonage builds texture and flavour complexity.
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Alcohol: 13.5%
Average Brix: 23.0 - 23.5
Oak Maturation: 11 months
Final pH:
Final Acid: 7.80G/L
Harvest Date:
Bottling Date: 22/08/17 - 25/08/17
Release Date: 01/04/2019
Cellaring Potential: 15 - 20 years
TASTING NOTE
The nose is energetic, precise and finite with remarkable clarity and purity. Lime, lemon pith, grapefruit and Nashi pear are the hallmark fruits present. Delicate notes of jasmine, cardamom pod, flint, wet stone, blanched almonds and rice wafer give subtle complexity in the background. The shape and frame of the palate is the highlight; volume, combined with length and a mineral acid line threaded in between. Grapefruit, pear and lemon are set in the foreground amongst nougat, brioche, cinnamon and graphite. Wine with incredible poise and presence, with a long life ahead.
THE YEAR
Winter and spring rainfall throughout 2015 was modest and below average, before a fine Spring, with good conditions for flowering through November. Early summer was generally fine, with a daily sea breeze. January and February temperatures were slightly above average, but with only several non-concurrent hot days. A welcome and significant 90 mm of rain fell in January, setting up unirrigated vineyards for the remainder of the season. March and April temperatures were close to average; reflected in the slowing down of ripening over mid late vintage. 2016 was one of the best all round vintages seen, with Chardonnay and Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon standout varieties. Resulting wines show very good palate density and intense varietal lifts.
VINIFICATION
Cool destemmed fruit with some skin contact. The juice was settled for 3 days, racked and inoculated with yeast. 100% of the juice was barrel fermented in new French oak barriques and the lees stirred regularly. After 11 months in barrels the various components were blended, fined, cold stabilized and bottled.
Intense exuberant but beautifully defined fruit is balanced by savoury oak complexity. The palate is creamy yet a fine bead of acid cuts a swathe across the palate giving life and incredible length. With age the wine becomes a harmonious whole with beautifully defined grapefruit/melon aromas and complex lanolin nuances. The palate is richer and fleshier but remains tightly bound by mineral acidity. Leeuwin Estate seeks to preserve the pristine fruit characters of Chardonnay throughout vinification and maturation. This is achieved through minimal or gravity fed handling, meticulous attention to detail and no malo-lactic fermentation. The wine is 100% barrel-fermented in selected new French oak and matured in the same barrel. Battonage builds texture and flavour complexity.