Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2016

I tasted this wine some years ago, with my Halliday hat on, though the review that I published there was subsequently over-ridden by a higher-scoring review from James himself. Back then I wrote of this release: “Straw-green in color and powerful from the outset. Pure, juicy pear, white peach, sparks of spice, cedar wood and wood smoke. The flavors trigger each other, the finish then a powerful sling out and onwards. Its beauty is entirely worthy of admiration. Exactly where the power stops and the delicacy starts is difficult to tell, though it seems to happen at some point, even if the wine's insistence never lets up. The quality march of Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay is relentless. 97 points.”

I came across this wine again recently, at the dinner table rather than at the tasting bench. I don’t have much to add, other than that its early excellence continues to be franked in full. This is a truly beautiful wine, great for drinking now and yet with plenty of time ahead. It’s elegant. It’s powerful. It’s complex and it’s long. It has all the things and all the feels. A glorious Australian white wine, it certainly is.