Cullen Elvie Clarke Wilyabrup Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon 2024
Light green in colour with creamy tinges. The nose is brimming with notes of elderflower, white flower, jasmine, gardenia, lemons, grapefruit and passionfruit. The palate is vibrant with lively acidity and zesty characters of kaffir lime, kumquat and pink grapefruit. It shows layers of complexity with unctuous juicy fruit and the texture of pear and pink apple.
This wine honours Elvie Clarke, mother of Kevin John Cullen. Elvie Alice Clarke was a gifted pianist, enchanting story teller and staunch supporter of the suffragette movement. The fruit is sourced from the 22ha Mangan vineyard, which is located adjacent to the Cullen vineyard in Wilyabrup. It was planted to Sauvignon and Semillon in 1995. Soils consist of old granite and sandy loam over lateritic subsoils with clay around one metre below the surface. The vines have vertical shoot positioning, are cane and spur pruned, dry farmed and cultivated using organic and biodynamic methods.
All varieties were dry farmed and harvested by hand. Fruit was harvested between 1st and 10th February on biodynamic fruit and flower days. The crushed grapes were given overnight skin contact to create greater phenolic tension and palate depth. The wine was then fermented naturally and left without oak to be bottled with all the vibrancy of the vintage and purity of flavours.
| RRP | £28.99 |
| Bottle size | 75cl |
| Vintage | 2024 |
| Alcoholic strength | 13.5% |
| Country | Australia |
| Region | Western Australia |
| Subregion | Margaret River |
| Grapes | Sauvignon Blanc 58%, Semillon 35%, Verdelho 7% |
| Vegetarian | Yes |
| Vegan | Yes |
| Organic | Yes |
| Biodynamic | Yes |
| Closure | Screwcap |
| Winemaker | Vanya Cullen |
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.
