Leeuwin Estate
Encyclopedia
Leeuwin Estate is an Australian wine
ry based in the Margaret River wine region
of Western Australia
.
and after having been purchased as part of a deal to buy a plumbing business by Denis Horgan, the land was converted to vineyards based on the advice of the Western Australian Department of Agriculture.
Robert Mondavi
provided significant advice during the planning and setup stages of the estate after contacting the Horgans in 1973 to promote the potential that Margaret River had as a wine region and to look for investment opportunities. Initial plantings consisted of Chardonnay
, Cabernet Sauvignon
, Shiraz and Pinot noir
.
Bob Cartwright was appointed as head winemaker in 1978. In the same year that Cartwright was appointed, the first vintage of wines were made. The vines had reached maturity and could provide enough grapes for commercial production and bottling levels. Cartwright held the position of head winemaker for 28 consecutive vintages until retiring in September 2005.
The current head winemaker is Paul Atwood. He has worked at Leeuwin Estate since 1997, being promoted to head winemaker on Bob Cartwright's retirement in 2005.
The winery is still owned by Denis and Tricia Horgan, with their son Justin working as the company general manager
.
Denis Horgan was awarded a Centenary Medal
and both he and Tricia Horgan were inducted as Members of the Order of Australia in 2001 for services to tourism in Western Australia.
The most well known wine produced by Leeuwin Estate is the "Art Series Chardonnay". It has been described by wine critic James Halliday as "Australia's finest example" of Chardonnay and the Langton's Classification of Australian Wine places it at the highest level of "Exceptional". The first vintage of the Art Series Chardonnay was from 1980, with the first vintage of the wine receiving a recommendation as the best Chardonnay in the world by Decanter
in 1982, bringing Leeuwin Estate to the attention of the wine world. A large proportion of the grapes used in this wine are from the "Block 20" vineyard, which was noted as one of the "Top 25 Australian Vineyards" by Australian Sommelier Magazine.
As well as the Chardonnay, Leewin Estate produces four other flagship "Art Series" wines from Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. Each of the five "Art Series" wines in each vintage has a new painting printed on the label from an Australian artist.
The "Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon" is listed at the "Distinguished" level of the Langton's Classification, being described by Langton's as representative of the "quintessential southern Margaret River style" and by Robert Parker as "one of Australia’s great Bordeaux-styled Cabernets".
A number of lower priced wines are released under the "Prelude" and "Siblings" labels.
Since 2002, Leeuwin Estate has bottled all their wines under screw cap
due to cork taint
and Premature oxidation
problems under cork.
in 1985.
In February 2005, a concert was performed by Sting that attracted 6,000 attendees and raised over $4 million for the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami relief efforts.
Australian wine
The Australian Wine Industry is the fourth largest exporter of wine around the world, with 760 million litres a year to a large international export market and contributes $5.5 billion per annum to the nation's economy...
ry based in the Margaret River wine region
Margaret River (wine region)
Margaret River is the foremost Geographical Indication wine region in the South West Australia Zone, with nearly 5,500 hectares under vine and over 138 wineries as at 2008. Margaret River wine region is made up predominately of boutique size wine producers; although winery operations range from the...
of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
History
Leeuwin Estate was established in 1969 by Denis and Tricia Horgan. The land was previously used as a cattle stationCattle station
Cattle station is an Australian term for a large farm , whose main activity is the rearing of cattle. In Australia, the owner of a cattle station is called a grazier...
and after having been purchased as part of a deal to buy a plumbing business by Denis Horgan, the land was converted to vineyards based on the advice of the Western Australian Department of Agriculture.
Robert Mondavi
Robert Mondavi
Robert Gerald Mondavi was a leading California vineyard operator whose technical improvements and marketing strategies brought worldwide recognition for the wines of the Napa Valley in California. From an early period, Mondavi aggressively promoted labeling wines varietally rather than...
provided significant advice during the planning and setup stages of the estate after contacting the Horgans in 1973 to promote the potential that Margaret River had as a wine region and to look for investment opportunities. Initial plantings consisted of Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
, Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
, Shiraz and Pinot noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
.
Bob Cartwright was appointed as head winemaker in 1978. In the same year that Cartwright was appointed, the first vintage of wines were made. The vines had reached maturity and could provide enough grapes for commercial production and bottling levels. Cartwright held the position of head winemaker for 28 consecutive vintages until retiring in September 2005.
The current head winemaker is Paul Atwood. He has worked at Leeuwin Estate since 1997, being promoted to head winemaker on Bob Cartwright's retirement in 2005.
The winery is still owned by Denis and Tricia Horgan, with their son Justin working as the company general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
.
Denis Horgan was awarded a Centenary Medal
Centenary Medal
The Centenary Medal is an award created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the Centenary of Federation of Australia and to honour people who have made a contribution to Australian society or government...
and both he and Tricia Horgan were inducted as Members of the Order of Australia in 2001 for services to tourism in Western Australia.
Wines
Leeuwin Estate produces around 60,000 cases of wine each vintage and owns 121 acres of vineyards.The most well known wine produced by Leeuwin Estate is the "Art Series Chardonnay". It has been described by wine critic James Halliday as "Australia's finest example" of Chardonnay and the Langton's Classification of Australian Wine places it at the highest level of "Exceptional". The first vintage of the Art Series Chardonnay was from 1980, with the first vintage of the wine receiving a recommendation as the best Chardonnay in the world by Decanter
Decanter (magazine)
Decanter is an up market magazine on wine and spirits, published in over 90 countries on a monthly basis. The magazine content includes news from the industry, vintage guides and wine recommendations. Decanter organizes the annual Decanter World Wine Awards.-Wine Ratings:Decanter employs a 1 to 5...
in 1982, bringing Leeuwin Estate to the attention of the wine world. A large proportion of the grapes used in this wine are from the "Block 20" vineyard, which was noted as one of the "Top 25 Australian Vineyards" by Australian Sommelier Magazine.
As well as the Chardonnay, Leewin Estate produces four other flagship "Art Series" wines from Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. Each of the five "Art Series" wines in each vintage has a new painting printed on the label from an Australian artist.
The "Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon" is listed at the "Distinguished" level of the Langton's Classification, being described by Langton's as representative of the "quintessential southern Margaret River style" and by Robert Parker as "one of Australia’s great Bordeaux-styled Cabernets".
A number of lower priced wines are released under the "Prelude" and "Siblings" labels.
Since 2002, Leeuwin Estate has bottled all their wines under screw cap
Screw cap (wine)
A screw cap is a metal cap that screws onto threads on the neck of a bottle, generally with a metal skirt down the neck to resemble the traditional wine capsule . A layer of plastic , cork, rubber, or other soft material is used as wad to make a seal with the mouth of the bottle...
due to cork taint
Cork taint
Cork taint is a broad term referring to a wine fault characterized by a set of undesirable smells or tastes found in a bottle of wine, especially spoilage that can only be detected after bottling, aging and opening...
and Premature oxidation
Premature oxidation
Premature oxidation, is a flaw that occurs in white wines, when the presumably ageworthy wine is expected to be in good condition yet is found to be oxidised and often undrinkable. In particular the affliction has received attention in connection to incidents of whites produced in Burgundy...
problems under cork.
Leeuwin Estate Concert Series
Leeuwin Estate hosts an annual series of concerts featuring major Australian and international performers. The first concert was a performance from the London Philharmonic OrchestraLondon Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
in 1985.
In February 2005, a concert was performed by Sting that attracted 6,000 attendees and raised over $4 million for the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami relief efforts.