David Blenkinsopp for Leeuwin Estate to ‘underwrite a prospective visit to Australia by the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO)’ laid the foundations of a new Margaret River tradition. Denis Horgan, in typical swashbuckling form, offered to help if the LPO were prepared to schlep 300 kilometres to the winery to give an outdoor concert. To everyone’s surprise the orchestra agreed. Over 100 LPO musicians and crew made their way to Leeuwin Estate in February 1985 and gave ‘the most extraordinary concert ever held in Australia’ to a sell-out crowd. Thus began the coveted and ground-breaking Leeuwin Estate Concert Series held at the winery every summer (except during the pandemic years). Some of the world’s most loved entertainers have played under the star-spangled southern skies, including Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Ray Charles, Tom Jones, James Taylor, Carole King and Sting. ‘Leeuwin Estate is all about fine wine, music, the arts and great food. We want to bring alive everything around our wines and have people come down here to enjoy the experience.’ Simone Furlong, Joint CEO, Leeuwin Estate Margaret River Promise The promise of Margaret River as a premium wine region was realised early. Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon (1982 and 1983) won the Royal Melbourne Wine Show’s prestigious Jimmy Watson Trophy twice, in succession. During the mid 1980s this trophy guaranteed sell-out sales in Australia’s major commercial wine markets. This validation of quality also brought considerable focus and new investment to the region as newcomers tried their luck. Leeuwin Estate’s own success in London for its Art Series Chardonnay in the early 1980s also foreshadowed a long and consistent export market in the United Kingdom. But it was the astonishing success of the 1987 vintage that added an extra level of sophistication surrounding Margaret River Chardonnay. The region’s extensive plantings of ‘Gingin’ clone chardonnay is in part a result of Leeuwin’s successful track record in the vineyard and the marketplace.
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The Vintage Journal – Great Estates Series
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