Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvnigon 2015

Despite being nine years old, this classic Margaret River Cabernet still shows purple and red-violet hues. Made entirely from Cabernet Sauvignon and aged for 21 months in 40% new oak, it has a modern and lively character that will surely capture your interest.

The wine displays excellent Cabernet fruit, with hints of mint and earthiness and no noticeable old tertiary tones such as leather and green liquorice. The 2015 vintage is one of the good ones, with even ripeness, offering generous fruit with plenty of purple and ripe dark fruit. The blackcurrant fruit tightens nicely on the palate with grainy oak and grippy tannins, leading to a long finish. It has an alcohol by volume (ABV) of 13.5%.

It has received high and consistent scores from 94 to 95. For instance, Wine Spectator (WS) scored 95, describing the wine's flavours as warm and plump, with tannins and a palpable bristle of energy. The luscious blackberry fruit floods the palate with a crunchy acidity that keeps the wine bright and zesty. Despite spending 22 months in French oak, the barrel influence is apparent only in its textural harmony and structural completion, indicating that the wine is set for long ageing.

Christina Pickard of Wine Enthusiast (WE) awarded it 94 points, commenting that this vintage is an elegant and fruit-forward bottling with plenty of life from one of Margaret River's best-known wineries. The nose is a bouquet of red berries, backed by the regional secondary characters of eucalyptus, cigar box, olive brine, and cedar. The palate is voluptuous, with juicy fruit and spice buoyed by lifted acidity and wrapped gently in savoury, textural tannins. It is recommended to be enjoyed from now until 2030.

James Halliday also awarded it 94 points, writing that it has a good show of cedar wood, blackcurrant, mulberry, and bay leaf-like flavour. The wine is medium in weight and well-balanced overall, instilling a sense of reassurance and confidence that it will mature well into the medium term and beyond.

Vinous gave it 94 points, raving about its shimmering violet, ripe dark berries, cured tobacco, and candied flowers on the nose, plus a toasty oak nuance that builds in the glass. Sappy and penetrating on the palate, it offers intense cherry vanilla and black currant flavours accented by a peppery note. It is also concentrated but lithe, showing an impressive finishing power that will surely intrigue you.