In the beginning, it was about Cabernet Sauvignon. One day in 1972, Perth businessman Denis Horgan received an unusual piece of news. An American man had been digging holes in the ground on his cattle farm, without asking permission; now this American wanted to buy the farm. Denis had no idea who this man was (a ‘Mr Robert Mondavi’, anybody?), but when somebody showed him a copy of Time magazine with Mondavi’s face on the cover, he agreed to meet him. Robert Mondavi had already transformed the American winemaking scene. Now he was looking for new frontiers, and he was convinced that the Horgans’ farm would be an ideal spot for premium winemaking. Denis had no intention of selling, but he listened carefully to Mr Mondavi – and decided he had better start making wine himself. And so was born Leeuwin Estate.
Mr Mondavi mentored the Horgans through their early years. Back then, Margaret River wasn’t even a recognised wine zone. Yet it’s ideal: with the Indian ocean on three sides, sea breezes sweep in and temper the hot weather. These bring the sort of balance great wines need.
The Art Series Shiraz is elegant and expressive, the Art Series Cabernet is a showstopper. But while Robert Mondavi foresaw the success of Cabernet here, no one predicted that it was actually Chardonnay that would cement Leeuwin’s worldwide reputation. Rare elsewhere, the Gin Gin clone of Chardonnay the Horgans planted has become the regional standard. The Art Series Chardonnay is always an exceptional wine; with pristine, intense fruit, the 2021 has a dense vibrancy to its core that will see it age beautifully. It is often bracketed among the world’s great Chardonnays. /NT
