Winery & Vintage Info
Xanadu had a great summer leading up to vintage, although a rain event about a week or so before the start of harvest lead to some unusually humid conditions (for Margaret River at least). Careful fruit selection in some vineyards was required as a result of the humidity, despite experiencing good weather during the white harvest. The end of the whites saw a bit more rain, which was then followed by fine weather for the rest of March setting up the Cabernets nicely. In summary 2021 was a more challenging season than usual, however the extra work in the vineyard ultimately paid dividends with some wonderfully elegant wines being produced as a result.
All components for the 2021 Circa 77 Chardonnay were pressed without crushing or the use of enzymes, retaining relatively high solids in the juice after settling for 48 hours. 65% of the blend was fermented in predominantly seasoned French oak barriques (only 6% new oak in final blend). Wild fermentation was encouraged on barrel fermented components, in order to introduce complexity and personality into the wine. 35% of the blend was tank fermented using an aromatic yeast strain; after fermentation the tank is mixed to homogenise the lees throughout the wine before being transferred to old oak for maturation. None of the batches undergo MLF, however all batches which make up the blend were lees stirred throughout a nine-month barrel maturation period, gaining texture throughout the year. The final blend was put together in November 2021.
