2023 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Shiraz, Margaret River

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 blackfruits, 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.

96 points Ken Gargett winepilot.com

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.

95 points Erin Larkin robertparker.com

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 safe 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.

94 points Cassandra Charlick decanter.com

The Leeuwin Estate Art Series Shiraz from Margaret River is a refined, cool-climate expression of Shiraz that reflects the elegance and balance for which this region is renowned. While Leeuwin is best known globally for its Art Series Chardonnay, the estate’s Shiraz has quietly built a strong following for its combination of vibrancy, spice and structure. Margaret River’s maritime climate, with its cooling breezes from the Indian and Southern Oceans, allows Shiraz to ripen slowly, producing wines with brightness and savoury complexity rather than overt power.

In the glass it is a deep crimson with purple hues. The nose is fragrant and layered, offering red and black cherry, blackberry and mulberry alongside notes of white pepper, clove, violets and subtle cedar. On the palate, it is medium-bodied and silky, with juicy dark fruits interwoven with spice, cocoa and a savoury earthy edge. Fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity give lift and balance, while the finish is long and elegant, showing both fruit purity and gentle oak integration.

Food pairings suit the wine’s finesse and spice: chargrilled lamb cutlets with rosemary, duck breast with plum sauce, Moroccan-spiced eggplant, or a truffle and mushroom risotto. Its freshness and restraint make it an excellent partner to a wide range of dishes, from red meats to hearty vegetarian options. With 8 to 12 years of cellaring potential, it will evolve into a more complex wine with earthy, leathery and savoury characters layered over its fruit core.