Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon

“The 2022 Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon hails from a warm and dry vintage in Margaret River, one that is showing to be a very high-quality Cabernet vintage. The palate shows a pure core of raspberry and blood orange, nori and raw cocoa, even chinotto-esque in its leanings, with bramble and forest floor, graphite and cracked fennel seed. This is a velvety, tightly controlled, compact and excellent wine. The oak shows ever so slightly on the nose, in the form of malt biscuit and aniseed. This will be quickly subsumed by the fruit in a short time. The wine will be released April/May 2025.”

"Cabernet Sauvignon with a splash of Malbec (1%) spends 22 months in oak (50% new for nine months). Tight-knit oak guides towards cool blue fruit, wild strawberries, bundled brambles and wood spice. Plenty of velvety black fruit on the palate, lovely concentration without being dense. I adore the acidity – it just weaves through like sunlit water. A dusting of spice and liquorice pastilles. Oak is here, but doesn’t override. A great balancing act; the tannins are ripe and plush with a chalky frame and exceptionally long-lasting. There’s oodles of complexity at its core, flexing into a glossy roundness with savoury, salt-kissed tension. A very complete with with good flavour persistence."

"A vibrant maroon hue, the nose exhibits aromas of tobacco leaves, licorice, blackberries, truffles, graphite, cigar boxes and mulberries, with deftly handled oak, providing a flick of vanilla which sits comfortably. Balanced and lingering, with underlying intensity and juicy acidity, this has a seductive texture and will continue to improve for many years. Enjoy over the next ten to fifteen years. Leeuwin’s Art Series Cab now sits among the very best from the region.”

"Harvested through the first three weeks of April. 50% new oak. Because we most often review these wines before they are available commercially, I rarely have a bottle image to hand, so I took my own. I’m sure Leeuwin will shudder at its rough charm and send me a nice one promptly! This seems to be our equal second highest rated Cabernet from the 2022 Margaret River vintage – also bear in mind that we are generally less profligate with our scores than many other publications. What I like most about this wine is its cool feel and lovely tightly-knit graphite tannin. It’s medium-bodied, tobacco and pencils, nutty and spicy, quite some perfume, and yes there’s a bit of peppermint floating about, though it sits well within the wine. Red and black fruit, nutmeg, a flicker of liquorice richness, and it’s so very long and composed. Top shelf."