Leeuwin Estate, Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon, 2022
Leeuwin Estate, Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon, 2022
- 75cl
- 13.5%
- Red Still
- Cabernet Sauvignon
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Optimal drinking window: Now - 2042
Est. delivery in early summer, 2026
Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 is a flagship Margaret River wine made only in strong Cabernet vintages and intended for long-term cellaring. The fruit comes from Leeuwin Estate’s low-yielding, dry-grown vineyards in the Wallcliffe subregion, close to the Indian Ocean.
The wine is composed of approximately 99% Cabernet Sauvignon with a small addition of Malbec, which is used to subtly enhance aromatic lift and mid-palate texture.
The label forms part of Leeuwin Estate’s long‑running Art Series, which began in 1980 and pairs fine wine with fine art by featuring artworks from significant Australian artists. Over the decades, the estate has commissioned works and drawn from its substantial private art collection, which includes artists such as Sir Sidney Nolan, John Olsen, Arthur Boyd, and Albert Tucker - the 2022 vintage by Robert Owen “Blue Note #3”.
Margaret River's unique terroir combines gravelly lateritic soils over granite and limestone with a Mediterranean climate moderated by the Indian Ocean. The maritime influence provides consistent temperatures and afternoon sea breezes that preserve acidity while allowing full phenolic ripening. These conditions create Cabernet Sauvignon with distinctive eucalyptus character and excellent aging potential.
Margaret River is Western Australia's premier wine region, established in the 1960s and renowned for Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The region's Mediterranean climate and diverse soils produce wines with elegance and longevity. Unlike Barossa or Hunter Valley, Margaret River's maritime influence creates a distinctive herbaceous quality in its reds that sets them apart from mainland Australian styles.
Margaret River's 2022 vintage threw winemakers a curveball with one of the wettest springs on record, followed by a surprisingly dry summer that tested nerves across the region. The early rainfall meant careful canopy management became crucial, but those who stayed on top of things found their patience rewarded when the weather gods delivered a long, steady harvest period. We've heard tales of some producers picking well into April, savouring the luxury of extended hang time that's become increasingly rare in recent years.
What emerged from all this drama are wines with proper backbone and freshness that we frankly didn't expect after such a challenging start. The Cabernets show real promise with dense, dark fruit that avoids the jammy trap, whilst the Chardonnays display a lovely tension between richness and acidity. Most 2022s are drinking beautifully now but the better examples will reward cellaring until 2030. This isn't a vintage that will make the history books, but it's produced wines with genuine character and food-friendly appeal.
What the critics say:
"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."
OUR GROWERS
Leeuwin Estate
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