Xanadu Stevens Road Chardonnay 2024

Xanadu are in the zone right now, and this Chardonnay plays into it. High-toned with lashings of white grapefruit and lemon pith leading to nougat, white peach and delicate cedar, with faint green mango skin in the background. Seaspray minerality adds both freshness and lift alongside further savoury appeal. The palate is poised and calm — lovely even texture with a gorgeous flow of white peach, lemon juice and grapefruit peel. Cedar sits firmly in the background as waves of lemon-drenched acidity and finespun chalky phenolics draw the wine long to a finish of freshness and energy. Out of a particularly warm and early vintage, Xanadu have masterfully preserved tension and drive. Very good.