Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series 2010

Leeuwin Estate's Art Series Chardonnay 2010 sits at a rarefied point in its evolution — a wine of genuine historical significance that is now delivering the kind of profound, fully realised complexity that only the greatest whites achieve with fifteen or more years of careful cellaring. The 2010 vintage in Margaret River was one of the cooler, more precise seasons of the decade, producing fruit of exceptional natural acidity and structural integrity that has underpinned an exceptionally long and graceful ageing arc. Whole-bunch pressed, barrel fermented in French oak with partial malolactic fermentation and extended lees contact, this is a wine that was built from its very first moments in barrel for exactly the kind of long journey it has now completed.

Deep burnished gold in the glass, the colour alone tells you something important has happened in the bottle. The nose is at once ancient and alive — roasted nuts, beeswax, dried honey and toasted brioche layered over preserved citrus, dried stone fruits, white truffle and iodine, with a smoky, almost Burgundian minerality that drifts through the glass long after the first pour. The palate is full and seamless: extraordinary integration of fruit, oak and acidity, the components so thoroughly woven together as to be indistinguishable, the texture rich and almost unctuous yet kept honest by a fine acid line that extends the finish to an extraordinary length. This is not merely a great Australian Chardonnay — it is a great Chardonnay by any measure, from any country, in any vintage, and those fortunate enough to have bottles remaining should open them with ceremony and unhurried attention.