• French oak
• Blackcurrant
• Dark chocolate
• Sturdy & silky

"Gorgeously refined and complex, the wine shows blackcurrant, cigar box, olive and rich floral aromas on the nose, followed by a concentrated palate that's finely textured and flowing. Medium-full and superbly balanced, it's sturdy and silky at the same time, finishing long and engaging. At its best: now to 2032" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Mar 2023

"The signature of both Xanadu winery and the cabernet variety is writ large across the aroma profile...concentrated blackberry and blackcurrant fruit flavours. Long and plush with a tapered delicate finish. Lots to like" Paul Edwards, The Western Australian, Jan 2023

"The range would'nt be complete without a classy cabernet, so here it is. Bright and liveley blackcurrant varietal fruit aroma with a little cedary oak influence. There's trace of dark chocolate and dark plum. The palate is supple and smooth but with that necessary cabernet spine to keep it focussed through to its extended palate" Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com.au, Nov 2022

Deep red with ruby hues. The wine displays vibrant, characteristic Cabernet aromas of blackcurrant and mulberries, entwined with hints of mocha, black olive and bay leaf. Full-bodied yet refined, the generous palate offers a core of inky berry fruits; cassis and blood plums. Dense yet supple, the fleshy fruit characteristics are layered with dark chocolate and ripe tannins which culminate through to a persistent Cabernet finish. Perfectly approachable in its youth, this wine will comfortably cellar for several years.

Average winter rainfall followed by a warm/dry spring set up an early start to the growing season. Fruit set was variable, resulting in lower yields across most varieties. The warm summer daytime temperatures combined with low yields saw harvest begin very early, at the end of January (one of our earliest ever) and all whites were harvested before the end of February. An incredible display of Marri blossom meant bird pressure was practically non-existent in the first half of vintage, and a short rain event after the white harvest offered some respite setting up the reds perfectly. Warm conditions continued throughout March, with all of the reds being harvested by the first week of April, our earliest ever harvest completion. In summary, 2020 will be remembered as an excellent vintage in Margaret River. Fruit sourced from the Wallcliffe subregion (including 50% Estate grown fruit from our Boodjidup and Stevens Road vineyards) makes up 80% of this blend. This fruit is supplemented with 10% sourced from a Treeton vineyard, and 10% from a Yallingup vineyard.

Fruit was crushed/destemmed before predominantly small batch fermentation in a combination of static and open fermenters. Fermentation takes 7-8 days @ 24 – 26o C, during which the cap is managed using a combination of aerative pumping over as well as regular plunging by hand. After fermentation 20% of the components experienced a period of extended maceration on skins before a very gentle pressing. MLF takes place in a combination of tank and barrel. The wine was matured for 14 months in French oak (30% new barriques) before the blend was assembled prior to bottling.