2020 Xanadu Chardonnay Margaret River Australia 750 ml

There’s a certain type of Chardonnay you typically find in Wine Advocate’s 95–97 point range. 

The 2020 Xanadu Chardonnay Margaret River is NOT typical. With its 96-point score from the tough-scoring Advocate, it stands with the absolute crème de la crème of New World Chardonnays: bottles like Peter Michael’s Ma Belle Fille (95–97, $139) and Rochioli’s Little Hill (96, $145). 

It took just a minute with the 2020 Xanadu Chardonnay Margaret River to remind us why we love it. An Aussie benchmark, it’s a shining example of Chardonnay purity and intensity that brings supple richness and mouthwatering raciness in equal measure. 

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. 

That proximity to the sea is crucial: The nearby Indian Ocean cools grapes that bathe in copious amounts of sunshine all season long. It’s a combination that makes Margaret River a perfect place for viticulture. 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 focused on quality, as evidenced by the estate’s expansive roster of trophies, gold medals, and scores topping 90 points from critics the world over. 

There’s a reason we worked so hard to bring this Chardonnay halfway around the world. Many Wine Access members already know why.