Xanadu Circa 77 Margaret River Shiraz

Xanadu (pronounced “za-nuh-doo”) has called the Margaret River their home since 1977 and thus the label name Circa 77. Winding the clock back a bit the Xanadu story begins with an Irish doctor by the name of Dr John Lagan and his wife Eithne arriving in Western Australia in the late 1960s.

A decade later on they planted their first vines making them one of the region’s earliest vineyards. A lover of the Margaret River, a lover of wine and also of literature which is where John came up with the name Xanadu from Samuel Coleridge’s poem Kubla Khan. Xanadu was idyllic, exotic city in the poem and it’s how the Irishman felt about his new home in Western Australia.

The Circa 77 labels feature images of the beautiful Margaret River coastline and these coastal elements help to produce vibrant wines full of flavour. This is 99% Margaret River Shiraz with a 1% splash of Viognier for a touch of aromatic fragrance.

If you’re wondering whether to Xana-do or Xana-don’t – well a whopping 95/100 rating in James Halliday’s Wine Companion along with two Gold medals might sway you…

95/100 (Jane Faulker, James Halliday’s Wine Companion)
“Up there as one of my fave go-to reds – it delivers. All thanks to it being spicy, juicy and full of dark red plums, licorice and wood spice/oak. Really vibrant and pleasing as it’s savoury with puckering tannins and finishes convincingly. Now, it’s not about complexity, but there is detail. It’s a perfect barbecue wine for sure, yet deserves its rating in context of its deliciousness matched to value.”

91/100 (Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot)
“You’re getting a decent bang for your buck with this excellent value red wine. Red fruits with a subtle spicy aromatic which probably stems from a small portion of Viognier. Palate is firm with a fleshy cloak of fruit supported by a little new French oak. Plenty of ripe fruits on the palate with a mix of blackberry and dark plum. Nice wine in the short term.”

Gold medal (Margaret River Wine Show)
Gold medal (Wine Show of Western Australia)

Summed up nicely by the Xanadu crew – “Inky forest fruits with a subtle spice.”

For a snip under $20 this is a bargain buy, 95-pointer from the Margaret River. There ain’t much left of this cracking 2021 vintage so jump into it now.