Cullen Wines Kevin John Chardonnay 2023

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.

Cullen Wines decided to recognise Kevin and Diana’s pioneering contribution to the wine industry by naming their flagships in their honour – the Diana Madeline (Cabernet Sauvignon blend) and the Kevin John (Chardonnay), which both consistently receive some of the highest ratings in Australia, year after year. This wine, the flagship Kevin John Chardonnay has been sourced from old chardonnay vines planted in 1976-1988. 100% dry farmed they are biodynamically certified Gin Gin Clone, also known as the Old Wente Clone originally from UC Davis. They produce tiny yields of the best quality fruit. Hand harvested and whole bunch basket pressed before fermentation in concrete eggs, amphorae and biodynamic puncheons. Eight months maturation in biodynamic oak puncheons follows of which 80% are new oak, bottled without fining or filtration. This will age gracefully for up to 20 years with careful cellaring.

The 2023 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. On the nose aromas of white flowers, orange blossom, peach, nectarine, vanilla, curry leaf, dried pear, grapefruit. The palate has an array of tightly bound fruit with phenolic tension at the front sliding through to peach, nectarine and grapefruit flavours. There is fantastic fruit power and great length with a firm clean finish. Drink now or cellar for up to 20 years.

Bouquet - Floral, 
White flowers, orange blossoms, stone fruits and vanilla.

Palate - Power, Tension and Fruity
Tightly bound fruit with phenolic tension at front sliding through to peach, nectarine and grapefruit flavours. 

Palate - Bold and Excellent Length 
Fantastic fruit power and length with a firm clean finish.

Made from 100% dry farmed biodynamically certified Wente/Gin Gin clone planted between 1976 and 1988. Australian Chardonnay is so good. Now packaged in a lighter bottle weighing 360 grams, as opposed to the old one which was 560 grams. Very good. Well done. Now lets get rid of those ‘flagship’ (usually red, aspirational, and anachronistic) wines weighing in at nearly 1kg… As an aside, I taste nearly all wines from a Plumm Three No.3 Burgundy glass these days, such a pleasing and durable glass. Peach and dried pear, plenty of spice, cedar, brittle toffee and vanilla, cumquat, lime and white flower. It’s a powerful expression of Wilyabrup Chardonnay, intense in acidity and flavour, it has spice and plenty of grip, lime nougat, a milk powder richness, and a bold finish of excellent length. Positively dripping with golden flavour and energy, but so very good. - Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, 96 Points. 

Light-medium yellow colour, quite full in its youth; the bouquet shows toasted almond, cashew and coconut aromas, spicy oak and some fluffy yeast lees traces, while the palate is rich and generous, quite forward and giving, with an impression of fruit sweetness and a clean finish with perfectly judged phenolics giving it an appetising conclusion. A rich, generous and quite open-knit style of chardonnay that's already drinking well. Huon Hooke, The Real Review, 96 Points.

The Finer Details
Style - White Wine
Varietal - Chardonnay
Country - Australia
Region - Margaret River, Western Australia
Vintage - 2023
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13.5%
Other - Organic, Bio-Dynamic