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| Enthused by a consuming desire to make great wine, Andrew Nugent honed his craft as viticulturalist and winemaker amongst the vines of McLaren Vale before returning to the Adelaide Hills, where he established his very own wineworks at Woodside. Hand crafted from fruit grown to mineral rich soils above the historic Bird in Hand gold mine, a pure Pinot Noir with superb effervescence, dominated by red berry characters, adorned by a lift of stonefruits and floral.. Bird In Hand» |
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| Majella are one of the most highly awarded small wineries in Australia, the inaugural release of The Musician was met with unprecedented critical acclaim. In the tradition of the most salubrious Coonawarra vineyards, the Majella property was used extensively for grazing before being planted to vine. Majella» |
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| Grove Estate became the go to vineyard for esteemed national brands on the hunt for stellar quality Hilltops Shiraz, some very choice parcels of Grove Estate found their way into the winner of the Finest Australian Shiraz Trophy. Immediately identified by early settlers who planted vineyards and made great wine, the Hilltops are renowned for a unique confluence of superior winegrowing aspects. Grove Estate» |
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| Named for a rare grasshopper Sigaus childi, found only at Central Otago within the Earnscleugh gold mine tailings, just across the road from Grasshopper Rock vineyard. The site is fortuitously harsh and sufficiently challenging to make the vines work their hardest. Grasshopper Rock» |
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| After many years of dedication to formulating superb Eden Valley Riesling, Elderton have again achieved an excellent expression of the genre, paradoxically the most underrated style of wine in Australia. Small harvests of fruit which show wonderful primary, zesty characters and delicate acid structures are the foundation. Elderton» |
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| Galli Estate produce a variety of quality wines from fruit grown on their vineyards at Sunbury and Heathcote. Galli Estate have been very well received by reviewers, and have been recognised for quality at competitions, already receiving Gold for their Pinot Grigio, a varietal that the winemaking team find very exciting. Galli Estate» |
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| Glenrowan is a place of great natural endowments, it grows the finest fruit and hosted a famous gold rush. Glenrowan has remained quarantined from any exchange of viticulture since the 1890s, a felicitious quirk of history which has preserved the provenance of some great old vineyards. Baileys Glenrowan» |
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| A collation of superior vineyard parcels, crafted by a boutique estate which has been recognized as one of Australia's leading wineries. Clonakilla are dedicated to making distinctive, handcrafted wines, only ever released in limited quantities, anything by Clonakilla can be hard to find, but they are worth the search. Clonakilla» |
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| Amherst is a town rich with colourful history and local folklore, site of the first official gold find in 1851, it launched a mining rush which expanded throughout central Victoria. The district's long association with viticulture is also prolific and colourful. Amherst» |
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| The five most most exclusive parcels of old vine Shiraz, a secret component of the Barossa's most memorable vintages, hand picked off the De Fazio and Hillview vineyards at Belvidere and Moppa. Batches are crushed into traditional open top fermenters for a week of pumpovers, gently pressed into an extravagantly high proportion of new French oak hogsheads for two years maturation, followed by the final assemblage, unfiltered and unfined. Pirathon» |
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| Excellent Langtons Classification. Winner of Australia's most coveted award, the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy for vintage 1992, Elderton are one of the nation's great icon winemakers. Elderton» |
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| After several decades of crafting Australia's most memorable vintages, Mike Press is more sanguine than ever that great wine can only come from the finest vineyards. His dedicated hands on approach means that he is personally involved in every stage of the winemaking, from pruning the vines and inspecting grapes, right to plunging the ferments and bottling his finished wine. Mike Press» |
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Xanadu
About Xanadu - the Winery
Xanadu
Situated in the exclusive circle encompassing some of Margaret River’s most outstanding wineries, Xanadu is a true pioneer of the region with a long history of producing wines with distinct character
Xanadu was established by Dr John Lagan, an Irishman, who arrived in Margaret River in 1968 and was inspired by the pioneering spirit of the region. At the time, the potential of Margaret River as one of the world’s finest wine-producing regions was only just being considered. John established one of the region’s earlier vineyards planting his first vines in 1977. A lover of literature and inspired by the similarities between the environment at Xanadu and words of Coleridge; Dr Lagan named the vineyard after the home of Kubla Khan.
In an idyllic setting in the very South West corner of Australia, the 85 hectares of vines on the original Xanadu Wine Estate flourish in the rich, free draining gravel soils of the Margaret River region. In this near-perfect environment for viticulture, this unique maritime climate enjoys an abundant supply of water and is sheltered by forests of magnificent marri trees. A state-of-the-art winery / restaurant and cellar door has been constructed, with the extensive use of local granite and gneissic rocks, excavated during the planting of the original vineyard. These low yielding, carefully handled vines produce a range of varieties under the labels Secession, Xanadu and Lagan Reserve.
Enjoying a strong family focus since its inception almost 30 years ago, the company was listed on the ASX in April 2001. More recently, Xanadu Wines has returned to family ownership having been purchased by the Rathbone Family in August 2005. The Rathbone family remain focused on producing premium wines that reflect the true characteristics of the Margaret River region.
On the rolling slopes of Xanadu’s vineyard, vines flourish in the rich, free draining gravel soils of the Margaret River region, where they are fed by an abundant supply of pristine water, and sheltered by forests of magnificent marri trees. It's a near perfect environment for viticulture.
The ocean strongly defines the climate in Margaret River, which is classed as 'west coast Mediterranean' featuring warm to hot summers and mild to wet winters. The majority of Margaret River's approximate 1100mm of rain falls between April and October, and with an average rainfall of around 50mm from December to February. This usually means a dry ripening and harvesting season, come vintage time in March and April. The summer daytime temperatures are usually kept below 32 degrees Celsius, while daytime winter temperatures can vary from around 11 degrees to around 18 degrees Celsius. The extreme temperatures, humidity and frosts are kept at bay by the influence of the Leeuwin current of the near by Indian Ocean.
The vineyards of Xanadu are situated on the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge formed from an ancient granite landmass 2000 million years old. The soils are mostly formed in situ as a result of long periods of weathering. Granite decomposes to form iron-rich clay, which precipitates to the surface forming laterite gravel loams, the best vine growing soils in the region.
From the time the first vine was planted by the Lagan family 1977 through to today the focus has been on a holistic approach towards grape growing. The 85 hectares of vineyard continues to produce wines of excellent yet constantly improving quality. The Cabernet Reserve, Semillon, Chardonnay, Shiraz and Merlot being the most noted wines.
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