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1999 Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker's Tasting Notes

1999 was an exceptional year for red varieties in Margaret River, culminating in this remarkable Cabernet Sauvignon from Leeuwin.

The season was cool up until the middle of April when there happened a wonderful two week Indian Summer; vineyards that were looking at very delayed maturity peaked in flavour and phenolic (tannin) ripeness perfectly. Grapes were picked very quickly at ultimate ripeness.

Deep plum purple in colour. Rich currant and mulberry fruit purely integrated with some spice and hints of oak aromas predominate up front.

The taste has mouth filling rich fruit; again berries and currants carrying through with vibrance and superb extension. The finish has the finest grain of tannins, velvety with the wood and fruit extracts beautifully matched and textured.

This is a full fleshy wine from a great year to enjoy and speculate on now but built for the long haul - 20 years +

Comments

"Leeuwin Estate's 1999 Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon was well received at the 2004 Divine State of Origin tasting held by DIVINE MAGAZINE and featured in the July - September 2004 edition. The Leeuwin Estate 1999 Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon was the Judges highest scoring Western Australian Cabernet Sauvignon and listed in the Judges top 10 wines of the tasting."
"Light tobacco nose. This is among the best cabernets Leeuwin has made....score 8.5/10"
Graham Boynton, "The very best of the West"
“This is from a very good vintage. Shows the continued march away from the slight herbaceous cabernets of past years. There are some chunky blackcurrant and ripe plum flavours in here. The tannins are ripe and firm with solid oak. Still quite shy and reserved yet there is a solid structure to indicate good cellaring potential. One of Leeuwin’s best reds, 87/100.”
Ray Jordan's Western Australia Wine Guide 2003/2004
"Medium red-purple; the bouquet has a complex array of cedary, spicy black fruit aromas; the medium bodied palate is very much in the savoury, cedary end of the spectrum, but does have clean blackcurrant fruit underpinning the structure. The best for some years, 88 points"
James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion
"The blockbuster 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Art Series (86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot, and 3% Malbec) exhibits a Chateau Margaux-like precision. There is terrific purity, finesse, and length of flavours nicely buttressed by acidity and tannin. As the wine sits in the glass, aromas of cedar, liquorice, blackberries, and currants emerge. This sensational Australian red requires 2 - 3 years of cellaring; it should age for two decades. 94+"
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, USA, August 23 2003
"...The 1999 vintage in Margaret River has come to be regarded as one of the best in recent years for cabernet. The wines are deep in colour and have strong varietal fruit flavours with plenty of extract. For Leeuwin this is the start of a new era. And to prove that it is not a one-hit wonder I had the opportunity to look at the next four vintages, and there wasn't a dud among them. Clearly a lot of work has been done in the vineyard and the winery. Leeuwin's 1999 is a brute in black tie. Black as the night and smelling of blackcurrant, cedar, roasted meats, toasty oak fading to vanilla pod and, as it opens, violets, mulberries and a twist of earthiness. Incredibly rich with fine rolling tannins and varietal flavours of cassis and cabernet leaf that are embraced by fine cedary oak. Its 15% alcohol is well masked, being neither hot nor jammy. Smooth, silky and savoury and clearly the best Art Series Cabernet for many years"
Douglas Neal, DIVINE - September/November 2003
"This succulent wine offers not just fruit flavors but also hints of chocolate. Despite a slightly hot finish, it's a classy, complex wine. 92"
Michael Apstein (USA) Mar 14, 2006 www.winereviewonline.com

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