2022 Leeuwin Estate Prelude Cabernet Sauvignon Margaret River Australia 750 ml

From the winery that James Suckling called “the Mouton Rothschild of Australia,” the 2022 Leeuwin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Prelude Vineyards offers an unprecedented amount of power and Bordelais-style grace. Crafted from younger vines and treated with less oak than Leeuwin’s signature Art Series, it boasts the house style that made the estate famous—but doesn’t require decades of age to come around.

Gorgeous wines often come from gorgeous places, and the beauty of this Leeuwin’s bottles are no mystery once you set eyes on Margaret River. The Western-Australian region is practically Napa Valley on the ocean—as its maritime influences create an ideal climate with none of the Old World's constraints. The region's gravelly, well-draining soils force vines to struggle purposefully, developing intense concentration while retaining elegant structure. 

This remarkable confluence of geography—from cooling Antarctic currents to ancient soils—yields Cabernets of exceptional balance, with powerful fruit framed by fine-grained tannins and vibrant acidity that rival the world's most celebrated Cabernet regions while expressing an unmistakable Australian accent.

Leeuwin founders Denis and Tricia Horgan started something special when they planted their first vines in the early 1970s. In 1973, they met American wine legend Robert Mondavi, who told the couple that they had terroir capable of producing world-class wines. With Mondavi’s guidance, Leeuwin quickly became the benchmark for excellence in the country—and the Leeuwin team wrings astounding complexity from Cabernet grapes for this bottle. 

After careful berry-by-berry sorting and cold soaking, fermentation occurred in both closed and open-top fermenters. Each individual lot underwent up to three daily pump-overs, extracting remarkable depth and complexity. The Cab continued its evolution in French Bordelaise barriques, perfectly balanced with one-third each of new, 1-year-old, and 2-year-old oak—for a total of 20 months in barrel.