Leeuwin Estate, Art Series Chardonnay, Margaret River 2020

The 2020 Art Series Chardonnay favorably reflects the positive aspects of the 2020 growing season, which was warm and dry, and at that time, it was the earliest harvest start time that Margaret River had experienced. That statistic has since been overtaken by ensuing vintages—2024 is a stark example. This wine is tightly coiled and colored white in its characters: nectarine, white peach, white currant, white pepper and pineapple husk. I recall soon after its release in 2022, I tasted this wine blind at one of my wine group nights, and at that tightly bound stage, I couldn't see Margaret River nor the seasonal warmth in the glass. It has since fleshed out somewhat and now is looking more like its place and year. The acidity is juicy and almost puckering in its intensity, and it lingers long after the wine has gone. Sealed under screw cap.