XANADU Stevens Road Chardonnay 2023

Robert Parker Score: 96+ points

Reviewer: Erin Larkin — June 2025 Week 319 Jun 2025

Drink 2028–2043

From one of the most anticipated vintages in Margaret River's history, this 2023 Stevens Road Chardonnay leads with salted preserved lemon, lime flesh, green apple, white peach, cashews and brine. On the palate, the acidity is racy, which is a gentle understatement. It has pace and sting, and yet the voluminous fruit swarms around it and insulates us from its lash. The Xanadu Chardonnay style dictates that malolactic fermentation is assiduously eschewed, which explains the behavior of the acidity in the mouth. The barrels are stirred and the oak is carefully chosen, both of which create texture and contribute to the glacial longevity of this wine. The wine is austere in its youth but toasty and kaleidoscopic given time—around and beyond five years from vintage is a good rule of thumb. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.