Cullen Wines Diana Madeline 2021
Grown in the ancient soils of Wilyabrup the wines come from the heart of the land rather than the mind of the winemaker. The wines are made with little or no intervention. This means indigenous yeast, no additions of any kind, minimal oak use and fining. Quality is paramount in this process and every step in winemaking incorporates this philosophy. The wines can only be as good as the grapes, the quality and uniqueness of Cullen Wines comes in part from the vineyard with the role of the winemaker is to act as caretaker to the fruit – to understand and to realise the full potential of the vineyard and the fruit which comes into the winery.
The soils at Cullen are old, granite and gravely sandy loam, overlaying lateritic subsoils. The vines are dry farmed, helping to ensure maximum fruit quality, and are both pruned and harvested by hand. Low yields enable the flavours of the grapes to develop fully. Since 1971 when the Cullen Estate was planted, chemical intervention was minimal and the family’s concern for the environment paramount. Cullen is now carbon neutral and certified bio-dynamic. Vanya Cullen was awarded Halliday Wine Companion Winemaker of the Year 2020.
2021 vintage marks the 50th year of plantings for cabernet sauvignon at the Cullen Wilyabrup vineyard. Serendipity allows it also to be Diana Madeline’s 100th year. It’s incredible to imagine the times of planting in 1971, with no real knowledge of how things would turn out, just faith and great vision to feed the early pioneers of the region, we are talking and tasting the 50th vintage and the region is going from strength to strength on the national and international stage. This wine is the culmination of over 50 years of dedication effort and respect for the land. The quest for better quality wine made using sustainable methods.
The grapes for this wine were hand harvested on the biodynamic fruit and flower days across 5 picks from the middle of March to the super Moon Flower day two weeks later (including a Moon opposite Saturn fruit day harvest). It was then aged in 50% new oak for a period of 15 months with barriques and puncheons and biodynamic barrels included. The final blend is 91% Cabernet, 4% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc & 2% Malbec.
Deep mulberry garnet in colour with a bouquet of rich cherries, plum and dark chocolate. Fine tannins coat the front palate and the deep, concentrated flavours of plum, cherry, cedar and chocolate continue to a long juicy finish. This wine will aged and devlope to up to 50 years from vintage with careful cellaring.
Diana Madeline. The name evokes a lot of emotions, for what the woman stood for then and what the wine stands for now. The 2021 vintage equals 50 years of cabernet sauvignon plantings at Cullen. When released in early 2023, it was on what would have been her 100th birthday. It’s a wine that can come from nowhere else, so strong is its sense of place. Expect to swoon over aromas of roses, violets and mulberries doused in baking spices, a ferruginous quality as much as detailed if persuasive tannins. It’s complex, complete and structured. Gosh, what a wine. What a woman. The perfect combination. - Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion, 97 Points.
Very deep, bright purple-red colour; wonderful fragrance of red and blue fruits, violets and subtle herbal notes, the palate is very full bodied and loaded with tannins, a big wine of awesome concentration and arresting structure, with terrific drive and power. Long, long finish. It's just a babe and has a big future. This really has some wow factor - Huon Hooke, The Real Review, 97 points.
The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec
Country - Australia
Region - Margaret River, Western Australia
Vintage - 2021
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13.5%
Other - Organic, Biodynamic