Xanadu Exmoor Margaret River Chardonnay 2018 (Australia)

Xanadu Exmoor Margaret River Chardonnay 2018 (Australia)"Elegant and complex, the bouquet shows nectarine, fig, vanilla and roasted cashew characters with a hint of oatmeal. The palate delivers lovely weight and fine texture, backed by fleshy mouthfeel and bright acidity, finishing long and creamy. At its best: now to 2022" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Oct 2019 This Chardonnay displays colours of pale straw in the glass, accompanied by a bouquet of this fresh, fruit driven Chardonnay displays rockmelon, pear, and

"Elegant and complex, the bouquet shows nectarine, fig, vanilla and roasted cashew characters with a hint of oatmeal. The palate delivers lovely weight and fine texture, backed by fleshy mouthfeel and bright acidity, finishing long and creamy. At its best: now to 2022" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Oct 2019

This Chardonnay displays colours of pale straw in the glass, accompanied by a bouquet of this fresh, fruit driven Chardonnay displays rockmelon, pear, and citrus characters with underlying hints of nectarine and straw. Oak only plays a supporting role, yet its subtle influence adds another layer to the fruit aromas. The palate is medium bodied offering apples and stone fruits with a delicate creamy texture derived from lees stirring. A bright refreshing wine; crisp and dry, with a lingering fruit finish. A fresh, fruit driven style of Chardonnay, with oak simply playing a supporting role in the background. The wine is best consumed in its youth however certainly suitable for medium term cellaring.

The growing season began with good, even budburst after average Winter rainfall. The mild spring which followed ensured that there was good flowering and fruit set. A moderate start to summer, with no heat extremes, set up the harvest well with white varieties offering great flavour intensity and bright acidity. There was an incredible display of Marri blossom (tagged as a once in a generation ‘mega-blossom’) which meant bird pressure was practically non-existent whilst the whites were harvested. A minor rain event occurred in mid-March, which was followed by fine warm conditions which prevailed right through to middle of April allowing all red varieties to achieve great flavour and tannin ripeness. In summary 2018 will be remembered as an outstanding vintage!

All components (the majority being Gingin clone Chardonnay) were pressed without crushing, retaining relatively high solids in the juice after settling overnight. 80% of the blend was fermented in seasonal French oak barriques (only 5% new oak in the final blend), with the remaining 20% tank fermented using aromatic yeast strains before being run down to barrel post fermentation. Wild fermentaion 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 2018. 

Food Pairing: Match this Chardonnay with lemony shrimp risotto or a wild mushroom & herb pasta.