Leeuwin Estate Margaret River Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
(Margaret River, Australia) - [WA 97] [DM 96] [WE 95] [VM 93]

About the Winery:
Leeuwin Estate, one of the founding wineries in the Margaret River region of Western Australia, is a family producer with an international reputation for creating wines ranking alongside the world’s finest.  In 1972, legendary Napa Valley winemaker, Robert Mondavi, identified the future site of the Leeuwin vineyard as being ideal for the production of premium wine and provided early mentorship to Denis and Tricia Horgan in the transformation of their cattle farm into Leeuwin Estate. A nursery was planted in 1974 with vineyard sites planted from 1975. Enjoying its first commercial vintage in 1979, Leeuwin Estate was thrust into the global wine spotlight when Decanter Magazine highly recommended the 1981 “Art Series” Chardonnay after an international blind tasting. The accolades have continued, with Leeuwin Estate wines found in leading Restaurants and Wine Merchants across 30 markets. Now under the stewardship of three generations of the founding family, who work alongside a team of dedicated viticulturalists and winemakers, the focus remains firmly on creating site expressive wines of the finest quality. Celebrating the art of fine wine, the Estate’s most opulent and age worthy wines, the “Art Series’ are identified with paintings from Australia’s leading contemporary artists on the labels. A pioneer in wine tourism, Leeuwin Estate incorporates a multi-award-winning Restaurant, Cellar Door and Art Gallery and creates unique visitor experiences.

Tasting Notes:
The nose is energetic, youthful, vibrant, and perfumed. Sage, bay leaf, cumin and dried rosemary are surrounded by a dark core of blackcurrants, cherries, and blueberries. Underlying notes of olive tapenade, dehydrated beetroot, cacao, coffee bean, and anise combine throughout. Generous black fruits meet savory spice, subtle oak, and a granitic feel. The tannins are silky and seamless, with enviable length. A delicate and expressive vintage.

Ratings & Reviews:

97 Points - Wine Advocate
"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." - Erin Larkin (Feb 2024)

96 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"This vintage is not yet released, but it is already shimmering with verve. The entry is bright and compelling: a heady mix of dried herbs, ripe red berries, salted plum and graphite, the fruit shining through a generous smattering of cedary oak. Imbued with elegance, the acid drive is compelling and assists the supple tannins with a long, fine finish. Like a spiderweb woven with silver thread, the beauty of this wine's tension keeps you suspended until its very last moment on the palate. The finest vintage of Art Series Cabernet yet, a blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Malbec that spent 22 months in French oak barrels, 50% new. (Drink between 2024-2044)." - Cassandra Charlick (Oct 2023)

95 Points - Wine Enthusiast
"The red variety that put Margaret River on the map, this is a still-young, polished bottling that's structured for a marathon, not a sprint. Showing a cool edge from its southern locale, there are notes of red currant, savory herbs, pencil lead, flowery soap and a lick of chocolatey oak. Lifted acidity, well-tucked oak, tangy fruit and fine-grained tannin make for a sculpted, powerful palate. There's lots of life left here. Drink 2025–2040." - Christine Pickard (Nov 2024)

93 Points - Vinous Media:
"This well structured 2020 Cabernet Art Series is built to last. It boasts punchy black cherry and blackberry aromas lifted by violets, freshly cut cedar and new French oak. Gravelly tannins envelop densely packed graphite flavors with impressive grip quality and length. One of the best releases yet under this label. (Drink between 2027-2038)." - Angus Hughson (May 2024)