Xanadu Reserve Chardonnay 2023
- 95
- $130
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This is a brilliant release. The magic of the Margaret River terroir in a vintage as strong as 2023 has been beautifully captured here through clever, careful winemaking. It opens with lovely fragrance—pure notes of white grapefruit, lime skin, pear, and fresh lemonade underpinned by gentle cedar, saline oyster shell minerality, and a glimmer of nougat. With air, hints of brine and pastry dough emerge, adding savoury depth. It’s pretty and focused, with oak firmly in the background and purity the defining feature. The palate is gorgeously bright and equally pure, mirroring the fruit profile of the nose with a lovely interplay of tension and texture. A firm grip of chalky phenolics and saline acidity draws it through to a long, elegant close. This is a classy Chardonnay.
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.
