Xanadu Exmoor Margaret River Chardonnay 2019 (Australia)

Xanadu Exmoor Margaret River Chardonnay 2019 (Australia)Subtle oak Bright citrus Delicately creamy Fruit driven "This has such contained, fresh and bright citrus and stone fruit aromas and flavors with very supple, lively freshness on the palate. So integrated and complete. Drink now" Nick Stock, Jamessuckling. com, Apr 2020 "Bright lemon colour. The nose shows white peaches, lemon thyme and seashells. The palate is driven by a combo of lemon and peach fruits, with tangents of bacon fat and oyster brine. A

• Subtle oak
• Bright citrus
• Delicately creamy
• Fruit-driven

"This has such contained, fresh and bright citrus and stone-fruit aromas and flavors with very supple, lively freshness on the palate. So integrated and complete. Drink now" Nick Stock, Jamessuckling.com, Apr 2020

"Bright lemon colour. The nose shows white peaches, lemon thyme and seashells. The palate is driven by a combo of lemon and peach fruits, with tangents of bacon fat and oyster brine. A fuzz of phenolics provides textural intrigue and gives ample carry into a ling and crisp finish. Delicious in its restraint and control, big bang for buck quotient" Stuart Knox, Real Review, Nov 2020

The bouquet of this fresh, fruit driven Chardonnay displays rockmelon, pear and grapefruit characters with underlying hints of nectarine and straw. Oak plays only a supporting role in this wine, yet its subtle influence adds another layer to the fruit aromas. The palate is medium bodied offering fruity and zesty citrus flavours, with a delicate creamy texture derived from lees stirring. A bright and refreshing wine; crisp and dry, with a lingering fruit finish. The wine is best consumed in its youth, however certainly suitable for medium term cellaring.

The growing season began with a late budburst after a relatively cold Winter with reasonable rainfall. The cool Spring which followed resulted in some uneven flowering and fruit set, and generally lower than average yields. The winery experienced a significant (and unusual) rain event mid-January which was timely due to the later season, and this was followed by some fine, mild weather to get vintage underway.

There was a complete lack of Marri blossom leading up to and during harvest which meant that bird pressure was extreme with netting absolutely vital. The cooler ripening conditions did result in amazing flavour intensity and acid retention in whites (chardonnay in particular). There was a minor rain event coupled with high humidity mid-March which presented some challenges requiring careful fruit selection, although this gave way to some beautiful weather right through till late April. In summary 2019 was a variable season, however ‘pressure makes diamonds’ as they say. . . and the highlights of the 2019 vintage reflect this quote perfectly.

All components were pressed without crushing, retaining relatively high solids in the juice after settling overnight. 80% of the blend was fermented in seasoned French oak barriques (only 5% new oak in final blend), with the remaining 20% tank fermented using aromatic yeast strains before being run down to barrel post fermentation. Wild fermentation 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 2019.