Xanadu Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2023
- 96
- $140
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This sits deep and brooding in the glass with a come-hither sensibility that demands patience. Warm gravel, blackcurrant pastille, bay leaf and salted nori set an immediately compelling tone before coffee grounds, baked plum and shortcrust pastry add richness and detail. Allusions of black olive tapenade weave through the mid-ground, while a seam of graphite minerality adds lift and intrigue where you might expect density alone. The palate is medium-to-full bodied and utterly composed — shapely, fresh and cool in a way that belies the depth on show. Blackcurrant, black olive, warm gravel, graphite, tangy plum and whispers of mocha. It glides high through the mouth, never weighty, before fine, precise and architectural tannins rein it all in for a finish that is long, crystalline and energetically alive. Cabernet of the highest order and a brilliant release.
Tom Kline is a wine writer, reviewer, presenter, and educator based in Victoria, Australia. He is the Australian correspondent for the internationally respected publications Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy and Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux, where he highlights the top tier of Australian wine for a global audience. Tom also writes for leading outlets including Decanter (UK), Wine Spectator (US), and Halliday Magazine, among others. An experienced wine show judge and WSET educator, he has authored several consumer-focused wine courses aimed at making wine more accessible and engaging. In 2023, Tom was awarded Best Published Feature Article or Wine Column at the prestigious Wine Communicator Awards, presented by Wine Communicators of Australia.
