Xanadu
Established in 1977 by Irishman Dr John Lagan, the Xanadu vineyards now owned by the Rathbone family continue to flourish in a near-perfect viticultural environment that inspired Dr Lagan; rich free draining gravel soils; an abundant water supply and a unique maritime climate.
Winemaker Glenn Goodall mirrors the original vision; to produce premium wines that reflect the true character of the region in synergy with the environment and vineyards.
Growing Conditions
A mild spring and relatively dry growing season provided good flowering and excellent fruit set. Warm, sometimes hot and dry conditions after Christmas, combined with cool nights, brought vintage forward a couple of weeks earlier than the regional average. Abundant Marri blossom leading up to and during harvest kept bird pressure very low, with many vineyards not even requiring bird nets this season. The warmer weather saw flavour ripening accelerate and many wines were picked earlier than normal in order to retain acidity and fresh aromatics. No significant rainfall was expected throughout the harvest, with the fine warm conditions continuing right through to the end of March allowing all red varieties to achieve great flavour and tannin ripeness and continuing the dream run of Margaret River vintages in recent years.
Tasting Notes
Deep red with ruby hues.The wine exhibits vibrant, characteristic aromas of cassis, mulberries, and black plums entwined with hints of bay leaf and mocha.The full bodied palate is packed full of inky forest fruits, layered with blackcurrant pastilles and dark chocolate characters. A dense tannin structure supports the generous fruit which lingers through to a persistent finish.
Winemaking Notes
Fruit was crushed/destemmed before predominantly small batch fermentation in a combination of static and open fermenters. Fermentation takes 7-8 days at 24-26 degrees celsius, during which the cap is managed using a combination of aerative pumping over as well as regular plunging by hand. After fermentation about a third of the components experienced a period of extended maceration, and were left on skins for 4 weeks before a very gentle pressing. MLF takes place in a combination of tank and barrel. The wine was matured for 14 months in French oak (40% new barriques) before the blend was assembled, and subsequently returned to older French barriques for a further 2 months maturation prior to bottling.
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