Leeuwin Estate lost its sparkle?

JamieH · Post by **JamieH** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 7:13 am

I was talking to a friend about Leeuwin the other day, we thought that other than the Art Chardonnay, they seem to have lost their lustre over the last few years. Other MR wineries have seemed to catch up and are offering equal if not better wines at a lower price point eg Fraser Gallop. What do you folks think?

Julio G · Post by **Julio G** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 7:50 am

can't agree, the Chardonnay is almost in its own class and the Cabernet, 2001 and now 2004, is really hitting its straps.

Gary W · Post by **Gary W** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 10:11 am

07 Shiraz is excellent. 04 Cabernet - not been a better one for at least a decade. Riesling always tasty. Chardonnay still best in Australia. Maybe the other wineries are just catching up..
GW

John #11 · Post by **John #11** » Tue Jul 21, 2009 9:07 pm

We went there and tasted the whole range.

06 LEAS Chardy is almost a paradigm shift but still stunning.
04 LEAS Cabernet is arguably their best ever.
07 LEAS Shiraz is pleasingly full-bodied (unlike most other light-bodied MR shiraz) - IMO the best buy.

Nice to see GW agree with me.

griff · Post by **griff** » Tue Jul 21, 2009 11:50 pm

John #11 wrote:We went there and tasted the whole range.

06 LEAS Chardy is almost a paradigm shift but still stunning.
04 LEAS Cabernet is arguably their best ever.
07 LEAS Shiraz is pleasingly full-bodied (unlike most other light-bodied MR shiraz) - IMO the best buy.

Nice to see GW agree with me.

I think the best buy is the riesling but I must be weird to like Margaret River riesling

As for the topic it seems that the OP is talking purely about the chardy. If by sparkle you mean the market then perhaps one can say that LEAS chardy has lost some of its sparkle as there are some that are getting close whereas that wouldn't be the same a decade ago.

While the sparkle may be declining in the market I think the quality is as good as it ever was. Indeed, I loved the 2005 and consider it the best young chardy from Margaret River that I have tasted over the last decade. Still not sure about the 2006 yet as it is painfully young.

cheers

Carl

Mike Hawkins · Post by **Mike Hawkins** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 12:07 am

For mine, the Chardy is still king of the hill, but I've never been enamoured with any of their reds. That having been said, I haven't had the 04 cab which appears to be a winner based on the aforementioned comments.

Mike

griff · Post by **griff** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 12:18 am

Mike Hawkins wrote:For mine, the Chardy is still king of the hill, but I've never been enamoured with any of their reds. That having been said, I haven't had the 04 cab which appears to be a winner based on the aforementioned comments.

Mike

Worth a look Mike. 04 was kind to it. Good balance.

cheers

Carl

Waiters Friend · Post by **Waiters Friend** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 12:43 am

griff wrote:
John #11 wrote:We went there and tasted the whole range.

06 LEAS Chardy is almost a paradigm shift but still stunning.
04 LEAS Cabernet is arguably their best ever.
07 LEAS Shiraz is pleasingly full-bodied (unlike most other light-bodied MR shiraz) - IMO the best buy.

Nice to see GW agree with me.

I think the best buy is the riesling but I must be weird to like Margaret River riesling

Carl

G'day Carl,

I agree the LEAS Riesling is OK (although I had a retailer a few years ago top me up to a dozen with this when he couldn't fill all of my dozen Pewsey Vale), but if you really like MR Riesling, give the Ashbrook a go. It's a cracker, and not just by MR standards. I've always said the Devitt family have made their wines with pristine fruit, and perhaps the riesling demonstrates that the best.

I also opened a rare 2003 dessert Riesling (perhaps the only one they ever made) in the last few months and it was .... what's that word again?.... pristine. Sensational.

Well, for MR riesling, anyway :lol:

Cheers

Allan

griff · Post by **griff** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 12:54 am

Waiters Friend wrote:
griff wrote:
John #11 wrote:We went there and tasted the whole range.

06 LEAS Chardy is almost a paradigm shift but still stunning.
04 LEAS Cabernet is arguably their best ever.
07 LEAS Shiraz is pleasingly full-bodied (unlike most other light-bodied MR shiraz) - IMO the best buy.

Nice to see GW agree with me.

I think the best buy is the riesling but I must be weird to like Margaret River riesling

Carl

G'day Carl,

I agree the LEAS Riesling is OK (although I had a retailer a few years ago top me up to a dozen with this when he couldn't fill all of my dozen Pewsey Vale), but if you really like MR Riesling, give the Ashbrook a go. It's a cracker, and not just by MR standards. I've always said the Devitt family have made their wines with pristine fruit, and perhaps the riesling demonstrates that the best.

I also opened a rare 2003 dessert Riesling (perhaps the only one they ever made) in the last few months and it was .... what's that word again?.... pristine. Sensational.

Well, for MR riesling, anyway

Cheers

Allan

Snap!

I like all of Ashbrook's whites! The riesling is definitely up there for me as well.

cheers

Carl

Davo · Post by **Davo** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 1:14 am

griff wrote:

I think the best buy is the riesling but I must be weird to like Margaret River riesling

cheers

Carl

I may be wrong, but from memory the rizza juice comes from the Frankland.

griff · Post by **griff** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 1:43 am

Davo wrote:
griff wrote:

I think the best buy is the riesling but I must be weird to like Margaret River riesling

cheers

Carl

I may be wrong, but from memory the rizza juice comes from the Frankland.

They definitely have Riesling vines on the property. Not to say that they exclusively use them to make the wine perhaps?

cheers

Carl

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 4:59 pm

I don't get the Reisling. Could just be me.

JamieH · Post by **JamieH** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 7:56 pm

MMMM, looks like my friend and i need to get into some current vintage Leeuwin reds, haven't tried a few you've mentioned. Got to love this
Forum...

John #11 · Post by **John #11** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 8:20 pm

I thought the Leeuwin riesling was passable, but nothing to write home about. A long way behind Clare Valley and Barossa Valley rieslings.

I know this sounds very parochial, but it's not meant to be, just meant to be objective.

dazza1968 · Post by **dazza1968** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 8:31 pm

griff wrote:
John #11 wrote:We went there and tasted the whole range.

06 LEAS Chardy is almost a paradigm shift but still stunning.
04 LEAS Cabernet is arguably their best ever.
07 LEAS Shiraz is pleasingly full-bodied (unlike most other light-bodied MR shiraz) - IMO the best buy.

Nice to see GW agree with me.

I think the best buy is the riesling but I must be weird to like Margaret River riesling

Some of it is excellent :!:

Regards Dazza

griff · Post by **griff** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 9:01 pm

John #11 wrote:I thought the Leeuwin riesling was passable, but nothing to write home about. A long way behind Clare Valley and Barossa Valley rieslings.

I know this sounds very parochial, but it's not meant to be, just meant to be objective.

I like them as well. And Great Southern and Tasmanian for that matter

cheers

Carl