“The Chardonnay style at Xanadu is pronounced… the extraordinarily taut, nervy acidity endemic to the Gingin clone on full display, and boy, does it shine.” – Wine Advocate

IT’S BAAACK!!! By now, if you know, you know. Xanadu Chardonnay is DA BOMB from down under.

I mean, at the full $45, this should have been long sold out as a Cru-level white Burgundy copycat with that unmistakable Margaret River intensity and complexity to spare. But since we sold out the 2019 vintage back a couple of years ago, we landed the last bit of this fresh 2023 all the way down at $27 a bottle for you. It’s by far the best money you can spend on a 95-rated Chardonnay, no matter where in the world it comes from. Has a couple of 94s too, all from the highly critical southern hemisphere press.

Chardonnay geeks, the explanation of greatness here lies in the clonal selection, this prized national treasure is locally called Gingin, and was traced back to California’s Old Wente, which is traced back to, you guessed it, Meursault! What makes it their own in Margaret River are the gravelly soils and the ocean-swept breezes of their unique terroir.

Gorgeous exotic citrus of all kinds, from flesh to pith, from peel to rind. Layers of stone fruits and stony minerals complement the green apple skin and toasty hazelnut accents. Fresh and long with nori, yuzu, and candied ginger, this is what most Chardonnays dream of being but often can’t. Each sip leaves you yearning for the next…

“I spent all last week tasting Burgundies, but the more whites I tried, the more I lusted after the Western Australian alternatives…” Jancis Robinson famously wrote once, further explaining that “Western Australia’s most famous wine region, Margaret River, may have only half a century of wine production under its belt, as opposed to Burgundy’s at least 20 centuries. And Chardonnay was by no means the first grape variety tried in ‘Margs’, as some Australians call it. But the local grape growers and winemakers certainly have a way with the white Burgundy grape.”

Speaking of “a way” James Halliday’s Winemaker of the Year for 2023 went to Glenn Goodall of, you guessed it again (getting good at this!): “This year’s winner of best winemaker is no stranger to the award. Goodall was nominated last year and has been chief winemaker of celebrated label Xanadu for over 15 years, so it makes sense that this year saw him receive well-deserved acknowledgment for his hard work.”

95 Points – The West Australian “Winemaker Glenn Goodall has honed his style to capture the maximum character of the Gingin Chardonnay clone, so it’s no surprise that a heady perfume emanates out of the glass from some distance. This is an overt, intensely flavored chardonnay, yet there’s not an ounce of fat on the bright, mid-weight palate. Zippy flavors of mandarin rind, just-ripe nectarine and grapefruit tantalize. There’s a little oatmeal richness from lees stirring and a smidgeon of oak spice in the background. A wonderfully flamboyant expression of the grape and the region.”

94 Points – James Halliday “It’s nervy, energizing and still finding its groove. It pulses, with vibrant acidity taking the lead over everything, although there’s still lemon and grapefruit flavors, spicy oak and superfine gossamer-like nutty lees. In another year, this will be more compelling.”

94 Points – Ray Jordan “This turned into a very good season in Margaret River with the resulting wines displaying excellent fruit intensity and balance with precise acidity. The cut lime and tart pear aromas capture the regional characters. A little smoky overlay indicates oak influence. The palate is tightly framed but with good crunchy deep fruit intensity. There’s a fine oyster shell minerality running through to the long palate.”