Beautifully made Chardonnay can be almost a moving event, certainly it leads to a wonderful experience with food and or simply on it's own. The Xanadu philosophy is very simple, grow great fruit, pick it at the right time and guide it into the bottle without too much intervention. Probably how they end up with a Chardonnay this good.
It’s got lively aromas of citrus and pear, some pineapple and a hint of oak that does not interfere. The fruits detected on the nose appear on the palate while lees characters have imparted a creamy mallow-like texture broken up by clean acids. It finishes crisp and dry with a lovely persistent finish.
From a regional point of view, Margaret River is wonderfully hallmarked as producing Chardonnay at the top of its game and this wine simply reflects all the love, care and attention the winemaker has heaped into the process to ensure you enjoy for next to nothing a beautifully made wine.
Awards and Accolades
2016 Vintage: 93 Points, Special Value Wine - James Halliday, Wine Companion "Whole-bunch pressed, wild-fermented in French oak (12% new), matured for 9 months. Gleaming straw-green; it's a wild and woolly ride, having developed apace since Jan '17. White peach and pink grapefruit flavours charge along the palate, acidity and membro brakes bringing it under some semblance of control."
From the Winery
All components (the majority being Gingin clone Chardonnay) were pressed without crushing, retaining relatively high solids in the juice after settling overnight. 65% of the blend was fermented in seasoned French oak barriques (only 5% new oak in final blend), the remaining 35% of the blend was fermented in tank using an aromatic yeast strain. Wild fermentation was encouraged on barrel fermented components, in order to introduce complexity and personality into the wine. All of the individual barrel fermented batches which make up the blend were lees stirred throughout a nine-month oak maturation period, without any malolactic fermentation; gaining texture throughout the year. The final blend was put together in November 2017.
Don't Pay: $22.00
WBW Rating: 93/100
Closure: Stelvin
Region: Margaret River, WA
Winemaker: Glen Goodall
Drink now until: 2023
Alc/Vol: 12.5 %
