Cam Haskell became an avid follower of Leeuwin Estate after trying the 1998 Art Series Chardonnay. For seven years now, he has been sharing the winery’s stories and wines at the Leeuwin Estate cellar door and tour experiences. We chatted to Cam to find out his favourite winter experiences at Leeuwin Estate.1. What is your favourite experience on offer this Autumn / Winter at Leeuwin Estate?
Easy - the Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting Flight. Run exclusively through the cooler months (from 5 June to 31 October), it’s a deep dive into the Cabernet from Leeuwin Estate, across vintages and labels. The experience offers genuine insight into the way Cabernet, the greatest of all red wine varieties, represents climate, season and handling. Cabernet is a richly expressive grape and sometimes takes a little to get to grips with, and this is the ideal way to explore the most planted grape on the planet, and Margaret River’s flagship red varietal.
2. Who should sign up for this, and what might they expect?
The experience starts with the detailing of the soil profile, climate(s) and geology of the region, and Leeuwin Estate specifically. This is followed by a tutored tasting of 5 different Cabernets, delving more than a decade back into the vaults. The whole experience lasts about an hour.
Ultimately, these are sought-after, rare wines, and it’s a great way to access them across vintages. We want to show our visitors (whether novices or committed wine aficionados) just how fantastic the grape can be.
3. What is special about the experience?
For me, one of the great pleasures is tasting a wine in situ – in the surrounds of its production. We’re really aiming to give guests a sense of place, and that’s particularly important for a grape that can be as articulate as Cabernet. Wine is fundamentally about sharing, and it’s a special pleasure to share these wines with our visitors.
3. What do you love most about living and working in Margaret River?
Although the wines are excellent, one of the great things about the region is that it’s not *just* wine: the beaches, bush, bike trails, food scene and cultural offerings are all flat out excellent. On top of this, it’s a region with a frankly disproportionate amount of lovely people.
4. What do you like most about sharing Margaret River wine with people?
Margaret River is a long way from just about everywhere. And sometimes we can get overlooked or lost in the hubbub of what is going on in the wine world generally. When people are open and are suitably curious, it’s so satisfying to show just how excellent, and genuinely world class the wines can be. What’s even more exciting to me is the firm belief that the best days for us, as a region, are truly still to come.
Discover this experience, and other great experiences from Leeuwin Estate here.