Cullen Amber Sauvignon Blanc 2022

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.

One of the pioneers of Margaret River, and has always produced long-lived wines of highly individual style from the mature estate vineyards. The vineyard has progressed beyond organic to biodynamic certification and, subsequently, has become the first vineyard and winery in Australia to be certified carbon neutral... Winemaking is in the hands of Vanya Cullen, daughter of the founders; she is possessed of an extraordinarily good palate and generosity to the cause of fine wine. It is impossible to single out any particular wine from the top echelon. - 5 Star Winery, James Halliday.

Dr Kevin John Cullen and Diana Madeline Cullen purchased land in Wilyabrup where at first they tried their hand at raising sheep and cattle. In 1971, they made the decision to plant vines on the land, having taken the advice of Dr John Gladstones, a leading agricultural scientist who identified the Margaret River as an ideal wine making region, and after considerable research themselves in their overseas travels. 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, Kevin and Diana's daughter is now the head winemaker for Cullen and was awarded the Halliday Wine Companion Winemaker of the Year in 2020.

The Amber is Cullen's version of an orange wine, made from 59% sauvignon Blanc and 41% Semillon. It is a cross vineyard blend, both Mangan and Cullen, once again with only one flower day harvest, the rest being fruit day harvests.

The hand-picked fruit was crushed both to amphora and open fermenters with short skin contact time to pick up vitality and tannins from the skins. The wine was then matured in 20% new oak for 5 months before bottling.

The Finer Details
Style - White Wine
Varietal - 59% Sauvignon Blanc, 41% Semillon
Country - Australia
Region - Margaret River, Western Australia
Vintage - 2022
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13%
Other - Biodynamic