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97
/ 100
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97
/ 100
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94
/ 100
Tasting Notes
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.
Kevin John is a powerful, bold, textural, example of a point in the journey with no end of discovering terroir through biodynamics. Picked across three weeks according to the biodynamic calendar, capturing fruit and flower days, from a full Moon, Moon opposite Saturn astral event to the new moon flower day in late February.
Hand harvested, whole bunch basket pressed. Fermented in concrete egg, amphorae and biodynamic puncheons. Eight months maturation in biodynamic oak puncheons of which 80% were new, bottled without fining or filtration. Made from 100% dry farmed biodynamically certified Wente/Gin Gin clone planted on their 1976-1988. Yield 1.7 tons per hectare. Will age well for 20 years under screwcap in the new lightweight bottle.
Tasting Profile
- Light
- Full
- Low Tannin
- Tannic
- Sweet
- Dry
- Low Acidity
- High Acidity
Classification: White
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2024
Bottle Size: 750ml (Bottle)
Country: Australia
Region: Western Australia, Margaret River
Alcohol %: 13.5%
Cellaring: 15 Plus Years
Awards
Halliday 5 Red Stars WineryScores
97 / 100"‘Always one of our greatest Chardonnays, not just a great Margaret River Chardonnay. Full biodynamics as always, Gin Gin clone from plantings made between 1976 and 1988, largely new oak, we are seeing this wine released in the new lightweight bottles. Environmentally positive, though it does seem to rob the wine of some of its gravitas. Fortunately, it is what is in the bottle that counts. A straw/lemon hue, this is a very youthful Chardonnay, but it is elegance personified, with energy and focus and the signs of very early complexity. There is a beautifully creamy texture here with fine, citrussy acidity. The nose offers notes of peaches, florals, ginger, hints of nectarine, bergamot and lemon curd. This is poised and taut, a wine of precision. Long and lingering, there are notes of oatmeal on the palate. Leave it for a couple of years and it will be very special. Then enjoy for a further twelve to fifteen years.’ - 97 points. Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot."
- Wine Pilot
97 / 100
"‘Vintage after vintage, this is an Australian benchmark chardonnay that commemorates Margaret River pioneer Kevin John Cullen. His daughter Vanya – a finalist for Vigneron of the Year, and her team has crafted another wine that celebrates clarity and purity of the fruit and delivers a delightfully seamless drinking experience. From a hot, dry vintage there is plenty of concentration and length but also elegance. A hint of flint, citrus and melon nuances, astutely judged oak. Just delightful and worth 97 points.’ - 97 points Winsor Dobbin, Ciao Magazine."
- Winsor Dobbin
94 / 100
"A year of heat and dry, as we know, and an earlier harvest. Still, there’s no denying pedigree here. It’s got richness and flair, an appropriate mesh of nougat oak, vanilla, creamy texture, concentrated stone fruits, preserved lime, green apple, with ginger licks, gentle clove and oatmeal, sandalwood and briny touches. While all this is going on, there’s a pleasing wash and softness to the wine, a spread of flavour, a suggestion of pure water in it all. Lemon balm and oil in this all too; a touch cloying, perhaps a quibble. A more gentle release, full of flavour, yes, but supple and soft in its touch. Pleasure plus, huge drinkability, perhaps not quite the energy and detail of many KJs, but a delight nonetheless. - 94 points Mike Bennie, The Wine Front."
- The Wine Front
