2021 Xanadu Shiraz Circa 77 Margaret River 750 ml

Xanadu rocketed to legendary status when they took home Australia’s prestigious Jimmy Watson Trophy, an honor akin to being named Wine Spectator’s #1 wine.

They’ve become a massive Wine Access favorite over the past seven years, filling our members’ cellars with top-notch reds that ALWAYS deliver big-time bang for the buck. But you will not find a bottle that delivers more pedigree and pleasure for the price than this one, which has exactly what you want from Aussie Shiraz. Grown in high-quality Margaret River vintage, it’s packed with spicy dark fruit, and is layered and rich on the palate, with minerals and spice on the long finish. 

Wine Access members who have cleaned out our previous Xanadu allocations know just how tantalizing these wines are. They’ve called them “not just good for Australia but for anywhere,” comparing them to top California and Bordeaux wines at a multiple times the price. Of course, they’ve also lamented how fast every single offer sells out. 

Margaret River, which abuts the Indian and Southern Oceans, boasts a climate as enticing to winemakers as it is to surfers and sun-bronzed tourists. A staggering 80% of the Margaret River’s plant species don’t exist anywhere else in the world—it’s a completely distinct ecosystem that gives the region’s wines their own unique flair. The ample sunlight, cool sea breezes, and dry ripening seasons of Margaret River help produce grapes with a fine-tannin structure and fantastic complexity.

Xanadu has been in Margaret River since its early days as a wine region. Dr. John Lagan and his wife Eithne planted their first vines near the coast in 1977. Today, the property has over 200 acres of vines growing in its well-drained, gravelly soils. Acquired by the Rathbone family in 2005, it has stayed family-owned and obsessively quality-focused, and it shows in their inspired wines.