Xanadu Stevens Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2015 WINE OF THE YEAR (2011 Vintage)

Very limited in production, this single vineyard range demonstrates our focus on selecting only the very best rows from the very best blocks on the property. What started as a pet project is now in it’s 10th Chardonnay and 9th Cabernet release, offering a unique expression of what this special little vineyard is capable of producing.

The Stevens Road vineyard was first planted in 1987, situated 3km from the Xanadu winery, the Rathbones purchased the vineyard in 2008. With 24 hectares under vine, the block is a gracious host to many varieties such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Shiraz, Graciano, Petit Verdot and Muscadelle. The Boodjidup Brook weaves its way through the undulating property which gives rise to multiple aspects throughout the vineyard.

The soils on the Stevens Road vineyard are predominantly sandy loams over granite. These soils are conducive to the well-balanced vines which are in the Boodjidup Brook catchment on Stevens Road.

The Cabernet Sauvignon comes from 21 rows of Houghton clone Cabernet on free draining gravelly-loam soils. The block has an easterly aspect with north-south orientation, vines are cane pruned with natural low-moderate vigour that have tended to settle at yields of 5-6 tonnes per hectare. It’s a block that just always seems to know its own balance.

"Alcohol 14% From Block 3, crushed/destemmed to open fermenters, hand-plunged for 7 days, matured in French barriques (40% new) for 14 months, final blend assembled, then 2 more months in used French oak. Has that X-factor of Stevens Road, with a fragrance, purity and clarity of varietal fruit that needs no elaboration in the winery beyond that which it receives. James Halliday 97 Points"

"Dark chocolate oak and beautifully pure, deep blackcurrant and black cherry fruit invigorate and propel each other to form a compact and dense yet lithe and streamlined style of breathtaking precision, displaying the refined grace that defines this vineyard. Tyson Stelzer 97 Points"