Cullen

Written By Angus Hughson

Cullen Tasting – November 2025

Since our days queuing up together for lunch at South Australia’s Roseworthy Agricultural College, way back in the early 1980s, I have always shown an interest in Vanya Cullen’s career as a winemaker and change-setter. Now with more years behind us than ahead, I always time with her. Vanya’s insights are remarkably individual and highlight enlightened thinking, creative energy and personal courage. Her sensitivity and empathy for the land, combined with her artistry and philosophies, have frequently been offset with drama. Put simply, she has been ahead of her times for years. She is a vivid pioneering force in sustainability while being a master of her craft. These two elements coalesce to bring something special in the world of wine. The genius of vineyard site can only be revealed through the virtuosity of a grower and winemaker; in Vanya Cullen she is recognised as both.

While Vanya Cullen’s career is not over, the reality of succession is currently underway with the brilliant, yet understated Andy Barrett-Lennard working ‘side-by-side’ as senior winemaker. This is probably an arrangement that will continue for some time. It takes years for an understudy to achieve an exactness of style yet the empathy to adapt and improve when necessary. All artists are inspired by others, even if originality might fall from God.

Meanwhile the Cullen vineyards are managed by Brian Martin, who is also a proponent of sustainable and biodynamic practices. Although out of the limelight he has played a crucial role in maintaining and improving vine performance in more recent years.

When Vanya Cullen took the family winery down the biodynamic route, it was attained with great conviction and a belief that a spiritual connection could be achieved through a genuine communion with the land. While everyone will think of Diana Madeline Cabernet and Kevin John Chardonnay as her signature wines, her range is much wider and more exploratory, revealing a quest for perfection and harmony. In tasting her current range over an enthralling dinner, (thanks to chef Vince Conjaerts) I was taken away into the sublime.

*Shortened notes taken over dinner.

2024 Cullen Wines Dancing in the Sun, Margaret River – Western Australia

Pale colour. A lovely fresh spring like wine with ample florals and grassy notes, chalky textures, generous volume and racy acidity. Sauvignon dominant aromas but lovely richness on the palate. A blend of 53% Sauvignon Blanc, 28% Semillon, 14% Chenin Blanc, 4% Chardonnay, 1% Verdelho. Drink now – keep for a while. 93 points

2024 Cullen Wines Elvie Clarke Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, Margaret River – Western Australia

Pale colour. A full-bodied style with grassy, herb, tropical fruit aromas and flavours, fine loose knit, lacy dry textures and bittersweet notes. A refreshing early drinking style. 58% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Semillon, 7% Verdelho.  92 points

2024 Cullen Wines Grace Madeline, Margaret River – Western Australia

Pale colour. A classical wine with lovely herb, blackcurrant, touch grassy aromas and flavours, loose knit chalky textures, lovely mid plate richness and long refreshing/ well-integrated acidity. 85% Sauvignon Blanc 15% Semillon. Drink now – 2028+ 95 points

2025 Cullen Wines Grace Madeline, Margaret River – Western Australia

Pale colour. Fruit driven and elemental with abundant lime tropical fruit herb aromas and flavours. Very good tension on the palate with fresh long mineral acidity. Let it settle for a while. 74% Sauvignon Blanc, 26% Semillon. Drink now – 2029. 94 points

2021 Cullen Wines Sauvignon Blanc Flower Day Legacy Series, Margaret River – Western Australia

Pale colour. Lanolin, lemon curd, pear drop aromas. Very textural on the palate with lemon curd honey, touch flinty flavours, superb mid palate volume and underlying marzipan notes. Grippy notes at the finish with attractive mineral notes. Drink now – keep for a while. 96 points

2025 Cullen Wines Metricup Chardonnay, Margaret River – Western Australia

Pale colour. Intense grapefruit, tonic water aromas. Concentrated and supple with grippy textures and some lime skin notes. Based on Metricup fruit (Northern edge of Margaret River) and made for early drinking. But very good flow and mineral length. Delicious. 93 points

2024 Cullen Wines Kevin John Chardonnay, Margaret River – Western Australia

Pale colour. Lovely grapefruit, tonic water, vanilla/ marzipan aromas and flavours. Generous and creamy yet minerally and elegant. Sweet grapefruit, lemon glacé, tonic water flavours, slinky textures, lovely mid palate viscosity and fresh indelible acidity. Hints of star anise at the finish. A classic. 97 points

2024 Cullen Wines Kevin John Chardonnay Flower Day Legacy Series, Margaret River – Western Australia

Medium pale colour. A special biodynamic barrel selection with the fruit being picked on a flower day. More open and waxy with generous grapefruit, marzipan, lanolin aromas and flavours, fine loose knit chalky textures, some vanilla marzipan, grilled nut notes and long crispy acidity. Super. 97+ points

2024 Cullen Wines Dancing in the Moonlight Rosé, Margaret River – Western Australia

Pale salmon, cherry red. A fruit salad of grape varieties delivering a lovely array of juicy strawberry, red cherry, redcurrant fruits, persistent al dente textures and underlying mineral freshness. 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Malbec, 8% Merlot, 7% Mataro, 4% Grenache, 3% Petit Verdot. Drink now – soon. 93 points

2024 Cullen Red Moon, Margaret River – Western Australia

Bright crimson. Ample musky plum, crushed raspberries and redcurrant fruits, slinky textures, attractive mid-palate richness and long minerally/ quartz acidity. 33% Malbec, 23% Grenache, 22% Mataro, 17% Petit Verdot, 5% Merlot. Drink now-soon. 93 points

2023 Ephraim, Margaret River – Western Australia

Medium deep crimson. Fresh black olive, blackcurrant, hint praline aromas and flavours with attractive volume and generous chocolaty firm textures. A fruit driven style for early drinking. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot. 93+ points

2024 Cullen Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, Margaret River – Western Australia

Deep crimson. Intense cassis, leafy herb garden aromas with hints of black olive. Lovely pure inky dark berry fruits on the palate with classical fine cedar/ grainy tannins. Finishes claret firm with violet notes. Very expressive and lovely to drink. 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot. Drink now – 2030. 95 points

2023 Cullen Wines Diana Madeline, Margaret River – Western Australia

Deep crimson Lifted pure cassis/ blackcurrant pastille with hint of mocha/ dark chocolate. Superbly concentrated and generous on the palate with inky blackcurrant, black cherry fruits, fine grained/ touch cedar textures and underlying mocha notes. Superb volume, complexity and mineral length. A beautiful wine. 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec. Drink now – 2042. 98 points

2023 Cullen Wines Full Moon MOSH (Moon Opposite Saturn Harvest), Margaret River – Western Australia

A more lively and tensioned wine than above with attractive cassis, black cherry, hint black olive aromas and flavours, fine supple tannins and well-integrated marzipan oak. Finishes firm with seductive sweet berry fruits and long indelible acidity. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Malbec. Drink now – 2042. 96 points

2023 Cullen Wines ‘Vanya’, Margaret River – Western Australia

Fragrant and intense with expressive blackcurrant, cedar, mocha aromas with hints of violets, camomile and star anise. Generously concentrated with ample cassis/ blackcurrant pastille fruits, chocolaty/ grainy firm tannins and beautifully integrated mocha/ marzipan notes. Finishes cedary and long. Very classical in structure with wonderful definition and volume. Move over Pauillac! 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now – 2045. 99 points

40th International Chardonnay tasting

Cullen’s 40th International Chardonnay Tasting, conducted in blind format and based on the 2023 vintage, highlighted that Australian Chardonnay can compete and be compared with the finest cuvées from around the world. While every one’s tastes and preferences are different, I was intrigued and delighted to observe a strong regional identity that comes with Margaret River Chardonnay.

Underpinned by the ubiquitous Gingin clone, renowned for its millerandage ripening, the wines from Margaret River all possessed similar characters of grapefruit aromatics, al dente textures, attractive mid palate volume and fresh long indelible acidities. Generous in flavour and abundant in flow, the wines are compelling and delicious; often possessing a refreshing twang at the finish. Of course, they each differ in weight and style, but in my view Margaret River Chardonnay has a genuine and distinct regional imprint, that no other wine region in Australia has so far achieved.

Although some of the great Australian chardonnays can be found in Melbourne’s Dress Circle, Tasmania or Adelaide Hills, many of these wines are defined by their house style, rather than site-specific origin. By this I mean that the winemaker’s signature plays a major role in the overall expression of their wines.  Stripped bare and with some exceptions, would they show a distinct character of site? Would neighbouring wines have a commonality of character? Regardless we should be proud of the superb quality of ultra-fine Australian Chardonnay and all it brings into our lives.

Cullen Kevin John, Deep Woods Reserve and Leeuwin Estate Art Series, Vasse Felix Heytesbury and the lesser-known Windows Estate La Fenêtre were top Margaret River performers while Cullen’s Kevin John Flower Day and Kevin John Fruit Day Chardonnays stood out for their exaggerated but evocative style. Meanwhile Bindi Quartz, By Farr GC Côte Vineyard, Giaconda, Oakridge 864 Funder & Diamond Vineyard, Savaterre, Tolpuddle and Penfolds Yattarna all showed their class as top Australian chardonnay styles, albeit showing distinct differences in weight and composition.

The top imported wines were Maison Roche de Bellene’s classical Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières and Kumeu River Maté Vineyard.

2022 Cullen Diana Madeline

Forty years ago, I would often bump into Vanya Cullen at the queue for lunch or dinner at Roseworthy Agricultural College. Since those days, when our future was just imagined and our ambitions were framed within the expectations of our families, her career as a winemaker has flourished. In addition, she has enjoyed a remarkable international reputation for her Wilyabrup- Margaret River wines and wine judging expertise. Although from the outside it seems like the perfect journey, it has been far from it. There have been stumbles, moments of anxiety and battles of various kinds along the way. But ultimately success has prevailed.

Vanya’s family’s winery was established by her parents Kevin John and Diana Madeline Cullen in 1971 and, over the last half-century, it has played an intricate role in defining the character of the Margaret River wine region. During the 1980s Vanya joined the family business and brought technical expertise and flair. Together with her equally inventive mother, they quickly became champions for the cause of women in wine and a symbol of creativity and craftsmanship in fine wine.

After Di Cullen died in 2003, the Cullen family rebadged Cullen’s increasingly admired Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot blend Diana Madeline, in memory of her extraordinary contribution to winemaking. Meanwhile Vanya brought in new ideas of sustainable farming in the form of organic and then biodynamic viticulture and winemaking practices. At first, she was seen as a nutcase by the local community, but her ideas and commitment to leaving the land in a better place was unshakable.


Vanya’s belief in creating a model sustainable wine growing estate was ably assisted by the quiet, multi-skilled and loyal winemaker Trevor Kent who helped Cullen reach carbon-neutral by 2006. Although he retired in 2017, his contribution still echoes in the quality and style of the family’s wines. But of course, quite rightly, Vanya Cullen has achieved extraordinary notoriety and fame for her pioneering work in sustainable winegrowing and for the quality of her wines. In 2023, she was the recipient of an Order of Australia Medal (OAM), for her services to viticulture and wine.

There are few winemakers in the world that transcend their vocations. The artistry of winemaking is rare, because ultimately shaping wine is really a craft. But Vanya adds a level of spirituality and belief that harnesses the natural forces of nature, a feeling of place and her creative imagination to produce something different and expressive. The 2022 Diana Madeline is an exceptional wine that evokes all things beautiful. 

 

2022 Cullen Diana Madeline, Margaret River – Western Australia

Deep colour. Ethereal cassis, light marzipan, vanilla with hints of violet. Fresh blackcurrant pastille, marzipan, cedar flavour and fine bittersweet/ grainy tannins. Finishes claret firm, with pure dark berry fruits and superb mineral length. Elegantly proportioned, pristine and sinuous with excellent cellaring potential. A genuine Australian First Growth highlighting the genius of vineyard site, meticulous harvesting (five separate picking times), empathetic and imaginative winemaking. 89% cabernet sauvignon, 5% merlot, 3% cabernet franc, 3% malbec, 14 months maturation in new (55%) and seasoned French oak. A classic vintage; up there with the best. Keep for a while to allow some bottle age development as you will be greatly rewarded. 13.5% alc 99 points

2021 Cullen Diana Madeline Cabernet

Diana Madeline Cullen was born on the 11th February 1923 and this release celebrates her 100th birthday.

Medium deep crimson. Intense blackcurrant pastille dark plum hint dark chocolate aromas with underlying grilled nut, aniseed notes. Beautifully concentrated wine with deep set cassis, blackberry, hint brambly flavours, fine leafy tannins and some vanilla, mocha notes. Lovely sweet fruit density and fresh indelible acidity. Polished and elemental with beautiful structure and potential longevity. Give it a few years to unfold and develop. Drink 2025-2035 13.5%alc 96 points

Angus Hughson
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