Cullen Mangan East Block Margaret River 2022
This wine is deep mulberry in colour and the nose displays intense aromas of blackberry, tar, rose and plum. The palate is full of berry fruits combined with nuances of chocolate, dried plums, rose, saffron and thyme. A medium-bodied wine with fresh tannins and a luxurious finish.
The Mangan vineyard is located adjacent to the Cullen vineyard in Wilyabrup. On the 'East Block' section of the vineyard, the Malbec is deeply rooted and has Scott Henry trellising, giving better exposure and better quality fruit. The Petit Verdot component is planted on forest grove which is gravelly soil and produces low yields and intense fruit.
The grapes were hand harvested, and once at the winery, the fruit was destemmed and macerated on skins for 28 days. Subsequently, the juice was pressed and transferred to 50% new biodynamic oak barrels, where it aged for seven months prior to bottling. There was minimal intervention during the vinification process, in order to accentuate the key varietal fruit character of the grapes.
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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