The 2017 Art Series Chardonnay from Margaret River is a standout from a cool, challenging vintage. It’s savory and intense, with a gravelly, rocky character and bright notes of grapefruit, Japanese pear, and Meyer lemon. You’ll also find hints of spice like cinnamon and cardamom, alongside subtle floral and nutty touches. Barrel-fermented and aged for 11 months in new French oak, it has a rich, creamy texture balanced by fresh acidity and a long, elegant finish. A beautifully pure, complex wine that’s great to drink now but will cellar well.

The Wine Advocate | RP 96
Published: Feb 15, 2024
Drink: 2024-2040

The 2017 vintage in Margaret River was a cool one; it was wet and cool and threw up many challenges for producers in the area. Having said that, the success stories are the ones who toiled in the vineyard and made sensible choices regarding crop loads and canopies. So today, at seven years from harvest, the 2017 Art Series Chardonnay is savory and taut and intense. piercing. The structural intensity of this wine—i.e., the phenolics—make an impact on the way it feels in the mouth. It shapes it and makes for firm drinking. The wine is gravelly in its character, rocky almost, with graphite and gravel, a hint of iodine and grapefruit, saline and coffee grounds. Hints of turmeric and saffron accompany the orchard fruit. Sealed under screw cap.
This was tasted at the estate in January 2024 as part of the annual vertical of Art Series Chardonnay; the vintage span in 2024 is 1986–2021 (plus the 2023 barrel sample).

Jamessuckling.com | JS 96
Published: Apr 28, 2020

Such complexity and resolve make for a very attractive nose with peaches, grapefruit, cedary oak spice, gunflint and wet stones. The palate has a plush, smoothly resolved texture with a rich, creamy texture and all-encompassing, ripe stone-fruit flavors, ahead of a very long, smooth finish. Grilled-hazelnut and apricot-kernel flavors to close. Great to drink now, but certainly a decade of cellaring in the tank, too. Screw cap. 

Leeuwinestate.com.au

The purity on the nose is unmistakable; defined by a fruit spectrum of Japanese pear, Tahitian lime and Meyer lemon.

Vineyard Notes
Winter of 2016 was characteristically wet, with August experiencing a recent rainfall record with 228 mm - resulting in a significantly higher than average annual rainfall total. Chardonnay was the first variety to burst in late August, followed by the Riesling and Cabernet through September. Spring was generally milder and experienced slightly more rainfall than average. Flowering in all varieties was delayed 10 days as compared to 2016, with this period generally sunny, resulting in excellent set across most varieties. Summer was mild with few hot days, and veraison occurred 3 weeks later than in 2016. Harvest commenced in the Riesling in the last week of February, followed by Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc in the first weeks of March.

A later than usual, but nonetheless excellent vintage.

Winemaking
Cool destemmed fruit with some skin contact. The juice was settled for 3 days, racked and inoculated with yeast. 100% of the juice was barrel fermented in new French oak barriques and the lees stirred regularly. After 11 months in barrels the various components were blended, fined, cold stabilized and bottled.

Tasting Notes
The purity on the nose is unmistakable; defined by a fruit spectrum of Japanese pear, Tahitian lime and Meyer lemon. Floral notes combine with subtle spice, highlighted by frangipani, chamomile, cinnamon and cardamom. Delicate notes of cashew, almonds, sesame and graphite are threaded in the background.
A clear expression of primary fruit unfolds into a delicate, contoured and layered mid-palate, neatly laced with a fine acid structure. Again, the hallmark fruits of pear and lime are present, with secondary notes of oyster shell, lightly toasted almonds and nutmeg. Presence, poise and enviable length combine in symmetry, creating an articulating line and dimension.

Alcohol Volume: 13.5%
PH: 3.12
Standard Drinks: 8
Acidity: 7.62 G/L
Maturation: 11 months
Closure: ScrewCap
Bottling Date: 21 August 18 ? 23 August 18