Xanadu Crowned King of Australian Cabernet in World-First Virtual Wine Challenge

The 2018 Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon is the 2020 James Halliday Australian Cabernet Challenge Trophy winner, scoring 97 points and taking out the top prize from 364 entries from 29 regions across the Australia.

Xanadu Senior Winemaker, Glenn Goodall said “I’m absolutely wrapped! We’ve always taken enormous pride in our Cabernet Sauvignons, so to be awarded as the Cabernet Challenge Trophy in this year’s Halliday Australian Cabernet Challenge is definitely the highlight of 2020, and a huge achievement for everyone involved at Xanadu, especially our growers.

“Cabernet Sauvignon loves Margaret River, and there would have been some strong wines in the mix given 2018 was such an amazing vintage here. No doubt, in years to come everyone’s 2018 Cabernets will still be the yardstick by which such exceptional vintages are remembered, so to have our 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon recognised like this, amongst so many great Australian producers, is extremely rewarding for the whole Xanadu team.”

Last night the results of the James Halliday Australian Cabernet Challenge presented by Langton’s were announced on Langton's Youtube channel and streamed to Facebook. It was great to see five regional winners presented in what was a true celebration of the world’s most planted and extremely versatile, food-friendly variety.

The streamed virtual presentation following the 3-days of virtual judging which is believed to be a world-first as it was held simultaneously in two separate judging hubs in Coonawarra and Margaret River, due to Covid-19 travel restrictions restricting judges to gather together.

The 2020 James Halliday Australian Cabernet Challenge Regional Winners are:

Adelaide Hills Best of Region
Wines by Geoff Hardy
2018 K1 By Geoff Hardy 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon – 95 points

Barossa Valley Best of Region
Casella Family Brands 2018 Peter Lehmann Wines Masters Mentor Cabernet Sauvignon – 95 points

Coonawarra Best of Region
Brand's Laira of Coonawarra
2018 Brand's Laira 1968 Vines Cabernet Sauvignon – 96 points

Margaret River Best of Region and Trophy Winner
Xanadu Wines
2018 Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon – 97 points

Yarra Valley Best of Region
Boat O'Craigo Wines
2018 Boat O'Craigo Braveheart Cabernet Sauvignon – 96 points

The full results are also now available to view at www.australiancabernetchallenge.com.au