As one of the original founding wineries of the now famous Margaret River district of Western Australia, Leeuwin Estate is a highly regarded producer that has inspired many other local vintners with their winemaking philosophies and pristine fruit. Still a family owned estate, it is now operated by two generations. Originally established by Denis and Tricia Horgan, who purchased the property as a cattle farm under the guidance and mentorship of the well known Napa Valley winemaker Robert Mondavi. They worked together in the wineries early development and went on to produce their first commercial vintage in 1979. Their flagship wine “Art Series” Chardonnay has been receiving high acclaim since.

Complemented by paintings commissioned by leading contemporary Australian artists, the Leeuwin Estate’s Art Series Chardonnay comes from vines more than 40 years old. Produced from the unirrigated Block 20 vineyard and planted with the Gin Gin clone - now synonymous with Margaret River Chardonnay, many cuttings from this vineyard have also been used to establish other wineries in the region.

The site is highly influenced by a maritime climate and so allows them to achieve great consistency from vintage to vintage. The vines grow on sandy, loamy soils with ancient precambrian granite that showcase a sense of place, purity of fruit and tight mineral structure. Fruit is hand picked, fermented in new French oak barriques and matured in the same barrel for 11 months, with bâttonage protecting the wine and enhancing texture, complexity and structure.

Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay is a long-lived, fine-boned Australian chardonnay and with a vision to produce wines that rank with the best in the world through the pursuit of excellence, Leeuwin Estate is certainly achieving their goals.