2024 Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River

Xanadu’s estate Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most consistent over-achievers of the Margaret River region, and almost guaranteed candidate for rewarding, extended cellaring.

The growing season was dry and warm, with an early harvest across all varieties. Margaret River Cabernets from this vintage are often powerful and full-bodied; Xanadu’s location in the cooler, southern reaches of the region was a distinct advantage as evident in this finely structured wine. The 2024 presents with small inclusions of Malbec (6%) and Petit Verdot (4%), the complimentary varieties lending texture, structure and colour to a wine that remains unmistakably Cabernet.

In the glass it's deep crimson with a nose that is classically varietal: cassis, dark fruit, a bit of bay leaf and light touches of warm bush herbs, a subtle thread of graphite and cedar from the oak sitting quietly in the background. The palate is powerful, structured and precise, with fine-grained tannins providing shape to the long finish.

Cabernet like this is at home with charcoal-roasted meats and rich reductions. Try with a classic Bistecca Fiorentina or Cordero Asado, wood-fire roasted leg of lamb with nice trimmings like crispy thyme and garlic potatoes. Equally good with charcoal-grilled whole portobellos filled with salted black bean and garlic, drizzled with rosemary oil and served with buttery polenta.

At this price, buy several, and cellar the extra bottles with confidence.

About the winemaking

The fruit was destemmed and crushed into a combination of static and rotary fermenters. Fermentation took five to seven days, with similar length of skin contact apart from a 20% portion that was allowed 28 days on skins. The wine was then matured for 14 months in French oak barrels of which 40% were new.

About this producer

Xanadu was founded in 1977 by Dr John Lagan and his wife Eithne and named after the mythical paradise in S.T. Coleridge's poem Kubla Khan. The estate sits in Margaret River's southern reaches, a part of the region more directly exposed to the Southern Ocean than the northern subregions, with alluvial and gravelly soils and a climate shaped by maritime influence throughout the growing season. The Rathbone family acquired the estate in 2005, and under their ownership Xanadu has become one of the region's most awarded producers. The equally decorated Glenn Goodall has been the senior winemaker since that transition. His approach starts in the vineyard, with viticulturist Alex Miller leading sustainable farming across the estate. This producer is consistently delivering on the promise of its name: a vision in a dream.