David & Goliath! [ Leeuwin & Solaia ]

The David and Goliath series was born from, week after week, tasting through an array of outstanding value, sub-$50 wines. Sometimes you look at what is in your glass and think, wow, how did they achieve that at that price?! This series is not intended as a competition between two wines but rather to highlight how the underdog, the unexpected, the inexpensive or unknown can sometimes surprise and delight you as they hold their own against some of the wine world’s greats. Conversely, it is also an opportunity to showcase those stunning wines and labels which we all desire to acquire, cellar, taste and enjoy at least once in our lifetime.

For the first in our series we are showcasing the 2022 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Shiraz and the 2016 Antinori Il Solaia Super Tuscan. We know, we know, it’s hard to consider Leeuwin in the realm of underdog, but hear us out. When we tasted through the latest Leeuwin releases it wasn’t the iconic Chardonnay or even the Cabernet that stood out from the pack. For us, it was the unexpected delight of a Margaret River shiraz… plush and aromatic without being too heavy, and no green edges in sight. As Scott adds, “the perfect marriage between a savoury European syrah and bright Aussie shiraz”.

The 100pt 2016 Solaia came to mind as the perfect counterpart – perhaps the finest ever vintage of this storied wine. Galloni describes it as “incredibly deep but also light on its feet”, somewhat akin to our experience with the Leeuwin Estate Art Series Shiraz. This iconic wine is well and truly a best of the best. What else is there to say about a wine that leaves James Suckling speechless, Monica Larner unable to sleep, and Antonio Galloni thinking about his future…

Stay tuned for the next in the series. Who knows what will knock our socks off next!