Cullen Diana Madeline 2007

James Halliday Top 100 of 2009

Cullen is an iconic Margaret River winery and the Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot is their flagship red wine. It is famed for its quality and consistency, is sought after by collectors world-wide and is a worthy regional benchmark. It is a classic Cabernet Sauvignon dominant Bordeaux blend grown on an exemplary vineyard. The Cullen vineyard has been certified both Organic and Biodynamic since 2004.

"Just to fully impose her dominance over Australian fine wine making, Vanya Cullen doubles her 2007 king-hell whammy with this astonishing bio-D blend of cabernet sauvignon , merlot, cabernet franc and petit Verdot. It brought to me a vision of a hot gothic/sultry-musky Marianne Faithful sitting with a knife and fork to devour a quivering gelatinous block of arterial blood, blood orange, soot, coffee, ancient oolong tea, and trainline gravel, dusted with gunpowder and the pollen of forests and fields of meadow blooms. It's an extreme, profoundly beautiful thing. Thirty years in the cellar."  Philip White

"This is one of the greatest Diana Madeline's. The outstanding quality of this wine reflects a combination of the excellent conditions that existed for all red grape varieties during the lead up to the 2007 vintage and the benefits of employing the best biodynamic practices. 

The 2007 Diana Madeline was made from 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. The fruit was picked at Baumés ranging from 12.0 to 13.8˚ and fermentation employed natural yeasts. The wine was matured for 14 months in high quality French oak barriques.

Very concentrated deep red colour. The bouquet is already very complex, combining clean and rich blackcurrant aromas (typical of great vintages of this wine style) with a touch of blackberry and vanillin oak. On the palate, the complex amalgam of liquorice, fennel and different fruit flavours, including plum, mulberry, red currant and blueberry, are backed by just the right amount of clean oak. Long and persistent. The extraordinary depth of flavour reflects the outstanding quality of the 2007 vintage. Cellaring: At least 20 years."  Vanya Cullen

Cullen Wines

Expert reviews

"One might be sceptical about biodynamics, but not about this glorious wine, an emphatic bounce back to top form; indeed, this is as close to perfection as one can imagine in terms of structure, texture and its complex fruit flavours. Great now, greater still in another 10 years, and who knows how long thereafter. Drink to 2032."  James Halliday, The Weekend Australian - 97 points and Top 100 Wines of 2009

"Just to fully impose her dominance over Australian fine wine making, Vanya Cullen doubles her 2007 king-hell whammy with this astonishing bio-D blend of cabernet sauvignon (84%), merlot (8%); cabernet franc (4%) and petit verdot (4%). It brought to me a vision of a hot gothic/sultry-musky Marianne Faithful sitting with a knife and fork to devour a quivering gelatinous block of arterial blood, blood orange, soot, coffee, ancient oolong tea, and trainline gravel, dusted with gunpowder and the pollen of forests and fields of meadow blooms. It's an extreme, profoundly beautiful thing. Thirty years in the cellar."  Philip White, The Independent Weekly – 95+++ points

"I didn't take many notes on this wine, and if I did then I'm not exactly sure where they are right now, but I remember it perfectly well and don't feel the need to go long on the fruit salad descriptors because this wine is all about structure and length. It's tight and fine, only medium bodied really, with a bright mulberry and blackcurrant sort of fruit character, a slight but pleasant leafiness that's both Cabernet and regional and tasteful cedar/vanilla oak in support. Pretty too. The thing that struck me though, was just how long and controlled it was through the mouth. I tasted other wines next to it and they looked distinctly clumsy and abbreviated. Perhaps not the most exciting of wines at present, more subdued and classy, but it's going to be magic in the long term. Drink 2019-2030+."  Gary Walsh, The Wine Front – 95+ points

"Ah yes I see what you mean. Though it took me a while to come around to this - biodynamically-grown wines are renowned for their 'brightness', but the first day I tried this it seemed dull. Perhaps 'subdued' is a better word. Day two it tasted better but I still wasn't entirely convinced. Day three it was at its best, its quality clear. Good sign I know though you'd be doing your dough if you were looking to drink it soon-ish. One of the interesting things about 2007 Margaret River cabernet is that the wines generally aren't thick or ballsy or robust, but they are beautifully ripe and balanced. This wine sure is. It has a lightness of touch, a natural sense of acidity, and strides long and sure out through its finish. I'm with Walsh - it's a wine characterised by its structure and length. Good news for its future."  Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - 94 points

"Sumptuous, earthy and rather riper and more rustic than usual, this smooth and seamless cabernet blend has a delicate, floral and earthy bouquet of small berries, cherries and mulberries, backed by creamy, cedary oak, baked earth and hints of underbrush. Long and supple, deep and slightly subdued, its plush and satiny presence of slightly meaty fruit is underpinned by a fine spine of crunchy tannins, delivering a smooth, polished presence of fruit and oak backed by a mineral presence and punctuated by delightful acidity. YTD 2019-2027."  Jeremy Oliver - 93 points

"Vanya Cullen is a champion of sustainable directions in Australian wine. Her Margaret River cabernet blend, named after her late mother, is a modern classic. The '07 offers seamless integration of blackcurrant fruit, earthy richness and cedary oak. It has lovely texture, dense, complex flavour and lightly puckering tannins. Ageing? Yes, two to 15 years."  Ralph Kyte-Powell, Epicure Uncorked  ★★★★★

Awards

James Halliday Top 100 of 2009

Organic/biodynamic

The combination of firstly organic, and subsequently biodynamic viticulture at Cullen Wines provides the opportunity for the land to exist at its full potential, thereby nurturing vines to produce their best and most individual grapes. Vanya Cullen has pushed the limits of biodynamic practices in every facet of the business and the yield of the estate vineyards has soared.  All Cullen Wines are grown on a certified Biodynamic, Carbon Neutral and naturally powered estate.

Organic Viticulture

Since 1971 when the Cullen Vineyard was planted, chemical intervention was minimal and the family's concern for the environment paramount. In 1998 the change to total organic viticulture was made. Organics is about soil health and Diana and Vanya went intuitively towards healing the soil by putting back what had been taken out. Organic farming promotes biological activity, which converts plant and animal residue into stable humus. This in turn increases the soil's ability to retain moisture and provide a reserve of nutrients. The Cullen vineyards were certified A Grade Organic in 2003. 

Biodynamic Viticulture 

In 2003, whilst attending a Biodynamic Conference, Vanya Cullen decided that Biodynamics would add further to the holistic and natural approach to both vineyard and winemaking. Biodynamics builds on organic farming to make all organic processes work more efficiently and effectively. 

Biodynamic viticulture is a philosophy combining the maintenance of sustainable soil fertility and the recognition of the link between plant growth and the rhythms of the cosmos.  Moon rhythms strongly influence life on earth life. As tides rise and fall in a pulsing rhythm, so does the sap of plants and all other liquids including those within the earth's mantle. Viticultural practices are conducted according to these moon rhythms. The position of the moon in relation to the planets is critical in determining the optimal time to plant. 

In addition, the difference between organic and biodynamic is the use of biodynamic preparations 500 and 501, with 502-508 also being used. Preparation 500 is cow horns filled with cow manure which helps the soil develop humus and attracts earthworms and micro organisms. Preparation 501 is cow horns filled with quartz crystals which aids photosynthesis and the uptake of minerals in the soil. 

In 2004 the Cullen vineyards were certified A Grade Biodynamic.

Vanya Cullen discusses biodynamics

About the winery

In 1948, Dr Kevin John Cullen and his wife Diana Madeline Cullen purchased their property in Wilyabrup, which is in the heart of Margaret River. In early 1965 they started considering other uses for their sheep and cattle farm. They decided to plant lupins, so invited Dr John Gladstones (who had studied lupins in his post-graduate research) to visit their property. Dr Gladstones had also put considerable work and research into the suitability of growing vines in southwestern Australia and, according to Diana, upon seeing their land said "Oh, you're mad growing cattle and sheep, why don't you grow grapes?"

Dr Gladstones described Wilyabrup as being the sweet spot of the Margaret River region, most favourable for growing Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1966 he published his now-famous report which compared the climate and soils of Margaret River to that of Bordeaux. Many regard him as the founder of the Margaret River wine region. 

In 1971 Kevin and Diana Cullen made the decision to plant 18 acres of vines on the land, including their first Cabernet Sauvignon vines. Further plantings were made over the subsequent decades. The mature 28-hectare dry grown vineyard still operates today and the grapes for all the Cullen wines are sourced from here and the adjacent Mangan Vineyard which was planted in 1995.

While Kevin Cullen worked as a doctor to support the business, Diana Cullen supervised and managed the winery and became Chief Winemaker in 1981. Diana made history in 1982 by being the first woman to win a trophy at the Perth Royal Show. Kevin passed away in 1994 and Diana in 2003, and the Cullen flagship wines are now named in their honour; the Kevin John Chardonnay and Diana Madeline Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot. Both Kevin and Diana have been awarded life membership with the Margaret River Wine Industry Association, and in 2003 the WA Wine Industry Association introduced the annual Diana Madeline Cullen Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual to the WA Wine Industry in her honour.

In 1983 Diana was joined by daughter Vanya Cullen, who took over the reign as Chief Winemaker in 1989 and was also appointed Managing Director in 1999. With Vanya at the helm, the quality of the wine is paramount and every step taken in the vineyard and in the winemaking is geared to that aim. The quality of Cullen Wines comes in the main from the vineyard - the wines can only be as good as the grapes. To realise the full potential of the vineyard, Vanya has embraced organic and biodynamic viticultural practices and the vineyards were certified A Grade Organic in 2003 and A Grade Biodynamic in 2004. 

The process of making the wine involves handling the fruit as little and as gently as possible. Practices such as hand harvesting, minimal fruit transport, sorting of the fruit before crushing, minimal wine movement, minimal fining for the whites, no fining for the reds and minimal filtration are employed. The wines mostly make themselves, with little or no intervention; which means the use of indigenous yeast, no additions of any kind and minimal oak use and fining.

Vanya Cullen received the "Australian Winemaker of the Year" award from Gourmet Traveller Wine magazine in 2000 and was voted "Woman of the Year" by UK based wine magazine The Drinks Business in 2008, becoming the first Australian to receive the award. Vanya was also awarded Halliday Wine Companion's winemaker of the year in 2020.

Cullen became the first vineyard and winery in Australia to be certified carbon positive, starting the process in 2006. Vanya Cullen is also on the board of the "Days of Change" program, which aims to help Western Australian people and businesses live and operate in a more sustainable way.

2021 marked a half-century for the brand and with it a celebration of the Cullen Wines legacy. "This year we celebrate 50 years of Cullen Wines – 50 years of sustainable wine growing preceded by 65,000 years of Wadandi sustainable land care," says Vanya. "Over that time we've been supported by generous people with a wonderful spirit of camaraderie and warmth of spirit, and we are so grateful."