The 2009 Qantas Wine Show of Western Australia.

Established in 1977 by Dr John Lagan, Xanadu was one of the pioneering vineyards in Margaret River. It soon built a strong reputation for Cabernet Sauvignon and in the third edition of the Langtons’s Classification, it received a rating of Excellent.

In 2005 the Rathbone Family purchased Xanadu, and embarked on a revolution in the vineyard and in the cellar. With a keen focus on quality and restoring the reputation of Xanadu, the size of the crush in the first year of the Rathbone’s ownership dropped 75% compared with the previous year.  30% of the vineyards were then ripped and replanted to appropriate varietals and clones. In the winery quality oak was purchased focusing wholly on French, and small batch winemaking equipment replaced the large scale commercial operation of the previous ownership.

According to Glenn Goodall, Winemaker at Xanadu, “this effort has culminated in wines that we can be truly proud of, wines that show the true personality of this site, and how good this place can really be.”
Last night at the Qantas Wine Show of Western Australia, these efforts were rewarded with Xanadu winning 3 trophies for the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon:

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD- JS GLADSTONES TROPHY

Best and Most Distinctive Regional Characteristics – Xanadu Wines Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Margaret River

IAN TYRER TROPHY

Best Cabernet Sauvignon – Xanadu Wines Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

SANPELLEGRINO TROPHY

Best Older Red Wine – Xanadu Wines Cabernet Sauvignon 2005