A few years ago, Leeuwin made the decision to bounce back with shiraz after it had been missing from the portfolio for many years. I, for one, am glad they did, and this is yet another example of how far they've come with developing this variety. It's a combination of a lot of hard work and an uncompromising focus on shiraz. And in this year, the season is exceptional. It's medium-bodied, but there's a concentration and intensity. It presents with an effortless ease and refinement as it pushes through to its long finish. Spicy plummy fruits, a little licorice, dusty earth, and some chalk dust characters add to the complexity on the palate. There's perfume and a prettiness here, and it is quite a masterful expression of Margaret River shiraz.
96 POINTS
Ken Gargett - Winepilot
This just might be the value buy from the Art Series range – actually, from recent releases, it surely is. From a stellar vintage, the fruit was individually berry sorted with 20% whole bunches added to the ferment. Total maturation was for a year and a half in a mix of new and slightly older barriques and larger format French oak. A dark mauve/maroon colour here, this is beautifully structured. The aromas weave through black fruits, plums, graphite, chocolate, aniseed, smoked meats and bay leaves. The oak has been superbly handled. This is an exquisite example of Margaret River Shiraz, one of the absolute elite. It is finely balanced with an attractively supple texture, laser-like focus and impressive length. A refined style, with melting tannins, which will continue to provide enormous pleasure over the next decade. One of their very best.
95 POINTS
Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate
It may be too early to call for certain, but the 2023 season in Western Australia, specifically in Margaret River, is shaping up to be one of the very best. And I make that comment with 2018 front of mind. The season was mild, dry (mostly) and long, and it seems to have extracted the best from most producers, in all regions, across all varieties in Western Australia. A very exciting consistency of condition occurred. I, for one, have been actively putting my money where my mouth is and investing in wines from this vintage. I know I'll regret it if I don't. The 2023 Art Series Shiraz, which at this stage is pre-release, shows precision and detail on the nose, with raspberry leaf tea and iodine, blood and blood orange, licorice and milk chocolate. In the mouth, the acidity is intense, but it works so nicely within the layers of gently settled tannins—like sheets of tissue paper. It's a lovely wine, wearing the benefits of intensive viticultural work and matching effort in the winery.
94 POINTS
Jane Faulkner - Halliday Wine Companion
A very good vintage and a very good shiraz, starting with its excellent dark purple-garnet hue. Being an aromatic variety, it doesn’t disappoint with florals and warm-brown spices, cedar wood, blackcurrants and plums. Fuller bodied, with firm and plentiful tannins that coat the palate, giving it structure and an almost stern edge. Fresh acidity comes through nicely.
Lovely aromas of plums and cherries, underpinned by licorice, peppercorns, violets, mocha and graphite. The midweight palate has firm yet finely framed tannins and fresh acidity that creates a linear profile. Excellent minerality and a chalky finish with a savory touch. Great value, approachability and aging potential.
94 POINTS
Cassandra Charlick - Decanter
Fruit is largely from the estate’s southernmost vineyards, prime Shiraz country in Margaret River. A vibrant magenta in the glass and elegant perfume, complete with dusty blueberries, red plum, fragrant spring blossom, saltbush, smoked sage and candied aniseed. A burst of fruit sweetness on the palate, swiftly followed by attention-seeking chewy yet fine and velvety tannins. An undercurrent of refreshing acidity lifts – this is a rollercoaster of a wine. Among the sweet fruited core and wood spice, vanilla bean jostles with a bresaola meatiness. Oak is nestled in the mix, well placed with its lightly toasted cedar notes. A mid-weight Shiraz, energy and brightness are aligned with a firm backbone of structure. This has plenty going for it and will delight in the glass now or with some cellar time.
93 POINTS
Christina Pickard - Wine Enthusiast
In true Leeuwin style, this southern Margaret River Shiraz offers a fragrant, pleasing pop of spiced red berry fruit reminiscent of a raspberry cordial, with fistfuls of fragrant herbs and spices. Things get a little more serious on the palate, thanks to a tug of quite powerful, spicy tannins. But this is, overall, a fresh, approachable Shiraz in a distinctive house style.
93 POINTS
Angus Hughson - Vinous
The 2023 Shiraz Art Series is an impressive release for this label, radiating with red currant and dark cherry aromas lined with spice. It delivers overall power and tension in a mid-weight package. Fresh, balanced acidity drives a long, streamlined finish.
