Artwork to be updated...
“All of this has happened before. All of this will happen again” – Battlestar Galactica
No doubt still an Australian flagship, I wonder how the Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay is faring as minimalist interpretations of the grape flood the country? Is the movement towards refinement and less power/overt fruit a linear, modern western progression or just part of a cycle; as suggested by certain ancient Greek movements (Stoicism amongst them) and later revived in Nietzsche’s doctrine of The Eternal Return. I guess ‘time’ will tell…
100% French barriques with noticeable battonage. Plenty of cinnamon oak with a suggestion of nutmeg. Powerful, sunny fruit is matched to it though. Stewed pear, rockmelon and driving ruby grapefruit. It’s big, round and opulent although there’s certainly a savoury dimension at play courtesy of lees and grilled nuts. Given the amount of alcohol and oak there’s a surprising amount of detail here – but don’t mistake that for elegance. A heat spike is distracting on the finish but the wine still manages to walk a difficult line with success. It helps that the warmth merges with a ginger tinged exit. It’s structured and will age, although I’m not sure the heat will ever fully integrate. In the end the positives far outweigh the negatives for me…but it’s not a style that everyone will dig; and it’s supremely unfashionable at the moment. Perhaps I like it even more for that fact. Very Good – Excellent
Region: Margaret River
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $96
Tasted: May 2012
From Battlestar Galactica to Nietzsche, and a great reading review between. Great work JP!
Gotta try and mix ‘high brow’ and ‘low brow’ wherever possible I reckon. Thanks Mr Bennie.