The Wine Advocate | RP 97
Published: Feb 15, 2024
Drink: 2024-2040

The 2020 vintage is rolling out now (as of January 2024). The season was warm, dry and early and marred by low yields across the state due to weather during flowering in the spring of 2019. Obviously, we all recall the events of March 2020: in Perth, the first COVID-19 lockdowns occurred in late March. Yet the wines from that season have proven to be superb—a testament to the grit and necessity of getting wines made no matter the conditions. The 2020 Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon is sweetly fruited, with a cavalcade of dark berry fruits and very fine, graphite tannins. I see this wine yearly in a blind tasting of same-vintage Cabernet Sauvignons from around the globe, and it routinely performs extraordinarily well; yet I feel its reputation has yet to catch up with the quality. For the first time, the wine has cracked $100 AUD retail, which pulls it more into line with the rest of the pricing in the region. It has excellent structure, sweet fruit, medium body and succulent acidity. Sealed under screw cap.

Leeuwinestate.com.au

Blackcurrants and dark cherries dominate the nose, alongside anise, clove, cardamom, and bay leaf. The wine is highly lifted and perfumed with lavender and basil flowers on show. Drive, direction and line form the shape and frame of the palate. Dark forest fruits surround cedar, olives, and graphite. There is distinct minerality threaded within, leading to a fine finish, with length and complexity delivered by ripe, silky tannins.

Region: Margaret River, Western Australia
Vintage: 2020
Type: Red Wine
Variety Composition: 98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Malbec