Cullen Diana Madeline Wilyabrup Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2022
Garnet in colour with youthful ruby-purple hues. Deeply perfumed on the nose with sumptuous aromas of mulberry, chocolate, wild rose, and curry leaf. Both light and intense on the palate, with a juicy fruit core of mulberry, plum and cherry.
Located in Wilyabrup, 20 kilometres north of Margaret River township, the soils at the Cullen vineyard are old granite and gravelly, sandy loam, overlaying lateric subsoils. Planted in 1971, the Cabernet Sauvignon comprises 11.33 hectares, while the Merlot was planted in 1976 and covers 1.76 hectares. The conversion to biodynamic viticulture is believed to have produced better fruit, the character of which is preserved during the winemaking process.
The grapes were hand picked and carefully sorted. Each variety was fermented separately with indigenous yeasts. Fermentation time ranged from 10-29 days, before the wine was gently basket- pressed to barrel. It matured for 13 months in French oak, of which 50% was new, in a mixture of barriques and puncheons, with some biodynamic oak used.
Having celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2021, Cullen is one of the oldest and most awarded family wineries in Western Australia’s famous Margaret River region. First established in 1971 by Dr Kevin and Diana Cullen, the estate is certified biodynamic, carbon neutral and naturally powered, with a philosophy summed up in three simple words: ‘Quality, Integrity and Sustainability’.
Di and Kevin’s youngest daughter, Vanya, who has worked at the winery since 1983, became Chief Winemaker in 1989 and Managing Director in 1999. She has worked tirelessly to continue developing the winery over this time, first introducing organic farming in 1998 and then, in 2004, saw it classified as a fully certified biodynamic estate. In 2000, Vanya was named Qantas/The Wine Magazine Winemaker of the Year, becoming the first woman and Western Australian to do so.
In 2019, celebrating 30 years at the helm, Vanya received double Winemaker of the Year honours at both the Australian Women in Wine Awards and the Halliday Wine Companion Awards. James Halliday, Australia’s best-known critic, said, “Her commitment to improving Cullen Wines while leaving the world a better place is reflected in the winery’s carbon-neutral and naturally powered status.” This commitment was further recognised by Vanya winning James Halliday’s inaugural Viticulturist of the Year award, with Tyson Stelzer noting, “Vanya Cullen possesses a deeply emotional connection with her vines and her land like nobody else.” In 2023, Vanya was awarded the Order of Australia (OAM) for her services to viticulture and wine. The acclaim Vanya has received reflects her fierce dedication to promoting sustainable viticulture. She is an influential figure to like-minded winemakers across the world.
The Cullen wines hail from two estate-owned vineyards in Wilyabrup, a subregion of Margaret River. In an effort to promote the subregion as a distinct winegrowing area of Margaret River, all the Cullen wines are now labelled as Wilyabrup. Both estate vineyards, ‘Mangan’ and ‘Cullen’, are certified biodynamic and lend themselves to wines made with no additions of yeast, acid, or tannins.
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