Chardonnay, Xanadu 2023
Wine Enthusiast 95; James Suckling 93; Winepilot 93; Jasper Morris 93; The Wine Front 92; Decanter World Wine Awards 88 points
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Why this wine
Gingin clone, whole-bunch pressed, wild-fermented in barrel and stirred on lees for nine months with no malolactic conversion: the recipe that made Margaret River Chardonnay's name, done properly. The ironstone-gravel granite soils and the meeting of two oceans give a saline lift that keeps the creamy middle honest. It is the range's benchmark for the style.
At a glance
- Grape
- Chardonnay 98%, Chenin Blanc 2%
- Region
- Western Australia, Australia
- Alcohol
- 12.50%
- Body
- Medium
- Acidity
- High
- Sweetness
- Dry
- Drink
- Medium (5-10 yrs)
- Pairs with
- Seafood, Rich & Creamy Dishes
How it tastes
Stone fruit, citrus zest and pear on the nose, with a delicate nutty edge from the barrel. The palate is bright, generous and creamy but held in check by high acidity and a saline, mineral freshness. Chardonnay 98%, Chenin Blanc 2%.
The producer
Xanadu is a pioneer of Margaret River, founded by John Lagan, an Irish doctor who arrived in the region in 1968 and planted his first vines in 1977, naming the property after the paradise in Coleridge's poem Kubla Khan; 65 hectares of vines now grow on the original estate under winemaker Glenn Goodall, who joined in 1999. Ninety per cent of the fruit comes from the estate's Stevens Road and Boodjidup vineyards in the Wallcliffe sub-region, with the balance from mature sites at Wilyabrup and Treeton, and every parcel is Gingin clone, a small-bunched selection prone to millerandage that concentrates the fruit and keeps natural acidity high. The vines grow on ancient granite soils loaded with ironstone gravel, free-draining and low in water and nutrients, at the point where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet and sea breezes hold the site in balance; the vineyard is managed sustainably as a member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia. The fruit was whole-bunch pressed and fermented entirely in French oak barriques, a quarter of them new, with wild yeast encouraged for complexity, then stirred on its lees through nine months in barrel with no malolactic conversion.
Food and drinking
Serve at 10-12°C. Good with grilled scallops, roast chicken with lemon, a creamy fish pie or a mild washed-rind cheese. Drinking well now and over the next five to eight years; no decanting needed. Sealed with a screwcap. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.