The 2021 Reserve Chardonnay is concentrated and creamy. The fruit is spearheaded by white peach and crushed cashews, red apple skins and a javelin of acidity that sails through it all. Coasting along, as it does in the mouth, the wine presents an unbroken stream of flavor and streamlined phenolics. It is tight, taut and a little tense at this stage, but the shimmer of exhaust through the finish shows power, persistence and pedigree. The three "p's." It's delicate, in its way. Super wine. Yippee. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

Pure, unfettered fruit concentration is the calling card of the 2020 Reserve Chardonnay. That, and the acid. The focus on blocking malolactic fermentation in the Chardonnays at Xanadu has imbued the wines with line, focus and purity, and it allows them to evolve, very slowly, over a long period of time. This wine, today, in its youth, pulses with life and vibrancy, and it is the best example I can think to give of the power and acid inherent in the Gingin clone. The Lagan Vineyard (situated just outside the cellar door) performs just like this each year. Almost impervious to the seasons, save for a slight nod in their direction, the vineyard is balanced and possessed of its own identity. Crystalline and almost austere, this is toasty and spiced, with layers of undulating flavor through the fine, spooling finish. A monumental wine of endless potential.

The 2019 Reserve Chardonnay is elegant, lacy, savory and salty, with a reverberating baritone of fruit, oak and spice. This is monumentally good, and although it is drinking beautifully now, it will only improve. The peak drinking window will be (*consults crystal ball*) in 2026. Godspeed—it'll be great on either side, too.

The 2018 Reserve Chardonnay is rich, complex and perfectly representative of the 2018 vintage. The fruit character of the season is ensconced in the acid/phenolic profile. It will be difficult not to drink this as it is so charming and complete already; however, it will age gracefully and slowly and will certainly gain complexity and elegance as it goes. You make the call as to when to drink this... I'd probably suggest buying enough to cellar half and drink half.

The 2017 Reserve Chardonnay has notes of mango skin, peach and red apples, with br?lée top, cheesecloth and lanolin through the finish. The phenolics and acid rise up in tandem and bring all of the elements of this wine together. This is the star release of the 2017 Chardonnays, and it has plenty of time to go from here.