Xanadu, Margaret River

Xanadu is once again family owned under the Rathbone Wine Group; it also owns Parker Coonawarra Estate, Mount Langi Ghiran and Yering Station. John Lagan and family established Xanadu in the late 1970s naming the property after Samuel Coleridge’s epic vision in a dream Kubla Khan.

During the mid-1980s and 1990s Xanadu created a strong following for its muscular but energetic wines. The on again – off again Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve – also released as Lagan Reserve - was first released in 1989 and is made from a collection of 25+ year-old vines, planted on well-drained red-brown gravely sandy-loams with an underlying sandy clay subsoil and interspersed with boulders and blocks from the size of a fist to a car.

The Rathbone’s are working on a complete revitalisation of vineyard and wine making practise including lowering yields, tannin management and optimising regional nuance. Low input/ organic philosophy will continue on this 85 Hectare property. Vinification follows Bordelais lines. Fermentation takes place in static overhead fermenters with regular plunging and lees work. The Reserve – in previous vintages - sees an extended maceration for up to 30 days before maturation in tightly grained French oak for around 22 months.

There is so much going on at Xanadu that it is difficult to pin down direction of style. Certainly the cabernets will continue to show refinement in the sense of not being overly fruit driven, opulent or packed with new oak. Darren Rathbone and Gordon Gebbie – with the highly credentialed winemaker Glenn Goodall – will almost certainly achieve more mid-palate richness and further refine tannin complexity in future vintages.

Xanadu has always shown such extraordinary potential but its erstwhile performance during the early 2000s illustrates the philosophical chasm between fine winemaking and corporate commercial imperatives. With the boys at Rathbone in charge, It behoves Xanadu to become a stately pleasure dome. Expect a renaissance at all quality levels.

Website: www.xanaduwines.com

Acclaimed Guitarist Nathan Sinclair - Playing at Xanadu Friday 6th March 2009. Download the .pdf document below.