2018 Xanadu Wines Chardonnay Margaret River Australia 750 ml

Two years of waiting, jostling with sharp-elbowed retailers all over the country, and haggling with the importer: It’s safe to say that few wines require more work than the Xanadu Chardonnay.

And Xanadu is always worth it.

It took just a minute with the freshly chilled 2018 Xanadu Chardonnay Margaret River to remind us why we passed over scores of homegrown Chardonnays for this one. Pale straw-colored with platinum streaks, bursting with vibrant lemon peel and key lime curd, this is an Aussie benchmark: a shining example of Chardonnay purity and intensity that brings supple richness and mouthwatering raciness in equal measure. 

James Halliday’s Wine Companion, which has long held Xanadu in the highest esteem as one of their five-star wineries, praised this bottle’s “excellent intensity and length,” awarding it 95 points—a shockingly high score for most Chardonnays at this price, but the kind we’ve come to expect from Xanadu.

The other thing we expect is that these cases will disappear fast: Xanadu could have easily sold them back in Oz, and ours won’t last long here. 

Gorgeous wines often come from gorgeous places, and the beauty of this Chardonnay is no mystery once you set eyes on Margaret River. The maritime-influenced Australian region is practically Napa Valley on the ocean—in fact, Xanadu winemaker Glenn Goodall’s personal record for leaving work, driving to the beach for a quick surf, and getting back to work is just 35 minutes. 

“We’ve got to deal with some storms and fronts in the winter,” he told us, through a smile. “But yeah, Margaret River’s pretty idyllic.”

That proximity to the ocean does more than make Margaret River the ultimate location for surfer-winemakers. Glenn refers to the nearby Indian Ocean as a “massive air conditioner,” cooling the grapes that are bathed in copious amounts of sunshine all season long. It’s a combination that makes Margaret River a perfect place for grape-growing—even Robert Mondavi was so convinced of the area’s potential that he flirted with buying property there in the early 1970s.

Xanadu was founded in 1977 by Dr. John Lagan and his wife Eithne. Acquired by the Rathbone family (of Wine Access-favorites Mount Langi Ghiran and Yering Station) in 2005, Xanadu has stayed family-owned and obsessively quality-focused, as evidenced by the estate’s expansive roster of trophies, gold medals, and 90+ point scores from critics the world over. 

There’s a reason we work so hard to bring this Chardonnay halfway around the world. Many Wine Access members already know why… and today we invite you to join their ranks.