Producer Article
Cullen Wines
Last edited on 7/9/2013 by MyCellar01
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Philosophy
Quality, Integrity And Sustainability
The philosophy of Cullen Wines is to search for the best quality expression of the vineyard in the wine. The maritime climate, rocky soils, dry farming and biodynamic practices all help to create individual and diverse wine styles which are unique to Cullen.
The maritime climate of Margaret River allows a near perfect environment in which to grow the finest quality grapes.
The rocky soils produce low yielding intensely flavoured grapes and the flavour of these grapes is what creates the fabric for the wine style at Cullen.
The vines are dry farmed, helping to ensure maximum fruit quality, and all pruning and harvesting are done by hand with great care. Quality is paramount and when the hand-harvested grapes arrive at the winery from the vineyard, they are sorted again to ensure that only the best goes into the bottle.
Biodynamic practices and minimal intervention apply to both vineyard and winery with all wines being naturally fermented.
As time passes, a greater understanding of the vineyard and grapes is gained and this makes possible the creation of a more individual wine style.
“Cullen is in particularly impressive company in its conversion to biodynamics. The most valuable piece of vineyard land in the world - it is beyond price - is the 1.8-hectare Romanee-Conti, the central jewel among the seven vineyards owned by Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. Like Vanya Cullen, the part owner/manager of the Domaine, Aubert de Villaine, readily acknowledges the absence of hard evidence, and the importance of faith.”
James Halliday, The Weekend Australian, June 18, 2005.
Biodynamics
Put simply, 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. It is a method of farming that treats the vineyard as a living system, which interacts with the environment to build a healthy living soil that helps to nourish the vines and general environment.
History
Since 1971 when the Cullen Estate 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. Diana and Vanya went intuitively towards healing the soil by putting back what had been taken out. Organics is about soil health - drains were put in, cover crops, and composting resulted in A Grade Organic Certification in 2003 being gained by the Biological Farmers Association (BFA) of Australia.
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.
In 2004 the Cullen Vineyard became certified A Grade Biodynamic by the BFA of Australia and the Mangan Vineyard and Winery followed in 2008. We also farm a biodynamic vegetable garden, which supplements the organic and biodynamic produce in the Cullen Restaurant.
Carbon Neutral
It is the aim of Cullen Wines to minimise the impact of our activities on the global environment. To compensate for our emissions created from vehicles, tractors, forklifts, LPG use and air travel, Cullen Wines engages the Carbon Reduction Institute to measure, reduce and offset our climate change impacts.
We also pay a premium to purchase 100% Synergy Natural Power through the state electricity grid. Synergy Natural Power is generated from renewable sources such as solar and wind energy. Cullen Wines is the first Australian winery to offset the carbon dioxide emissions under the Carbon Neutral program.
Viticulture
Cullen follows the maxim that states that great wines are made in the vineyard. Thus, prior to planting, extreme care is taken in choosing the best possible site. Fruit for all Cullen Wines is sourced exclusively from two vineyards, the Cullen Estate Vineyard and the Cullen Mangan Vineyard, both certified A Grade Biodynamic by the Biological Farmers Association (BFA) of Australia.
This fulfils the philosophies of quality, integrity and sustainability by having single vineyard sites grown using biodynamic techniques.
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.
The Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon due to their higher vigour are on a Lyre trellis. This gives a great area for the leaves and fruit to grow on, thereby enabling the fruit to reach proper physiological ripeness. The Chardonnay has been put on vertical shoot positioned trellis as this variety seems to favour best this training system.
The red grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc have been converted to Scott Henry Trellis. This is to increase ripe flavours and develop higher quality tannins.
The Cullen Vineyard
Planted: 1971, 1976, and 1988
Area: 28 hectares (70 acres)
Varieties grown: Cabernet Sauvignon; Merlot; Cabernet Franc; Malbec; Pinot Noir; Chardonnay; Sauvignon Blanc; Semillon and Chenin Blanc.
Dry farmed, A grade Biodynamic certification with Biological Farmers Association (BFA) of Australia.
The Cullen Mangan Vineyard
Owned by Rick Cullen and Bettina Mangan
Planted: 1995 and 1997
Area: 21 hectares (52 acres)
Varieties grown: Malbec; Merlot; Petit Verdot; Sauvignon Blanc; Semillon
Dry farmed, A grade Biodynamic certification with Biological Farmers Association (BFA) of Australia.
“Vanya Cullen has taken her Cabernet Merlot to the top echelon of Australian Cabernet through dogged determination, curiosity and superb technical skills. The exemplary vineyard site is planted on ancient granitic soils…Cullen has adopted the principles of biodynamic viticulture to achieve greater individuality of site through working with nature rather than against it. Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot is pure bottled philosophy.”
-Andrew Caillard, Langtons Fine Wines.
Winemaking
The Cullen winemaking approach is that we will do whatever it takes to make outstanding wines. Quality is paramount and every winemaking step incorporates this philosophy. The wines can only be as good as the grapes. The uniqueness of Cullen Wines comes in part from the vineyard. 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.
As Diana and Kevin Cullen had such great foresight to plant on one of the great winegrowing sites in Margaret River, the winemakers job, working with such high quality fruit, has been made pleasurable.
There is, however, still a lot of experimentation and hard work which takes place in the winery at all times.
At all steps of the process the wine (or wine to be) is treated gently and with great care.
The process of making the wine involves handling the fruit as little and as gently as possible. Practices such as hand harvesting, very little fruit transport, sorting of the fruit before crushing, minimal wine movement, minimal fining and filtration are used. This helps to ensure that the wine in the bottle is a true expression of the fruit that it is made from.
Biodynamics In The Winery
To take this even further Cullen Wines are harvesting as much as possible using Maria Thun theory Basics. She suggests that the moon in a constellation has a favourable influence on the elemental relationship of fire which makes it better for harvest giving greater intensity and preservation of fruit flavour.
The wines are mostly making themselves with little or no intervention. This means indigenous yeast, no additions of any kind, minimal oak use and fining.
We would like to think that in both the vineyard and winery we are working with nature rather than trying to control it. This gives us the lands best and purest potential of expression being put into the bottle.
Philosophy
Quality, Integrity And Sustainability
The philosophy of Cullen Wines is to search for the best quality expression of the vineyard in the wine. The maritime climate, rocky soils, dry farming and biodynamic practices all help to create individual and diverse wine styles which are unique to Cullen.
The maritime climate of Margaret River allows a near perfect environment in which to grow the finest quality grapes.
The rocky soils produce low yielding intensely flavoured grapes and the flavour of these grapes is what creates the fabric for the wine style at Cullen.
The vines are dry farmed, helping to ensure maximum fruit quality, and all pruning and harvesting are done by hand with great care. Quality is paramount and when the hand-harvested grapes arrive at the winery from the vineyard, they are sorted again to ensure that only the best goes into the bottle.
Biodynamic practices and minimal intervention apply to both vineyard and winery with all wines being naturally fermented.
As time passes, a greater understanding of the vineyard and grapes is gained and this makes possible the creation of a more individual wine style.
“Cullen is in particularly impressive company in its conversion to biodynamics. The most valuable piece of vineyard land in the world - it is beyond price - is the 1.8-hectare Romanee-Conti, the central jewel among the seven vineyards owned by Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. Like Vanya Cullen, the part owner/manager of the Domaine, Aubert de Villaine, readily acknowledges the absence of hard evidence, and the importance of faith.”
James Halliday, The Weekend Australian, June 18, 2005.
Biodynamics
Put simply, 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. It is a method of farming that treats the vineyard as a living system, which interacts with the environment to build a healthy living soil that helps to nourish the vines and general environment.
History
Since 1971 when the Cullen Estate 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. Diana and Vanya went intuitively towards healing the soil by putting back what had been taken out. Organics is about soil health - drains were put in, cover crops, and composting resulted in A Grade Organic Certification in 2003 being gained by the Biological Farmers Association (BFA) of Australia.
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.
In 2004 the Cullen Vineyard became certified A Grade Biodynamic by the BFA of Australia and the Mangan Vineyard and Winery followed in 2008. We also farm a biodynamic vegetable garden, which supplements the organic and biodynamic produce in the Cullen Restaurant.
Carbon Neutral
It is the aim of Cullen Wines to minimise the impact of our activities on the global environment. To compensate for our emissions created from vehicles, tractors, forklifts, LPG use and air travel, Cullen Wines engages the Carbon Reduction Institute to measure, reduce and offset our climate change impacts.
We also pay a premium to purchase 100% Synergy Natural Power through the state electricity grid. Synergy Natural Power is generated from renewable sources such as solar and wind energy. Cullen Wines is the first Australian winery to offset the carbon dioxide emissions under the Carbon Neutral program.
Viticulture
Cullen follows the maxim that states that great wines are made in the vineyard. Thus, prior to planting, extreme care is taken in choosing the best possible site. Fruit for all Cullen Wines is sourced exclusively from two vineyards, the Cullen Estate Vineyard and the Cullen Mangan Vineyard, both certified A Grade Biodynamic by the Biological Farmers Association (BFA) of Australia.
This fulfils the philosophies of quality, integrity and sustainability by having single vineyard sites grown using biodynamic techniques.
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.
The Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon due to their higher vigour are on a Lyre trellis. This gives a great area for the leaves and fruit to grow on, thereby enabling the fruit to reach proper physiological ripeness. The Chardonnay has been put on vertical shoot positioned trellis as this variety seems to favour best this training system.
The red grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc have been converted to Scott Henry Trellis. This is to increase ripe flavours and develop higher quality tannins.
The Cullen Vineyard
Planted: 1971, 1976, and 1988
Area: 28 hectares (70 acres)
Varieties grown: Cabernet Sauvignon; Merlot; Cabernet Franc; Malbec; Pinot Noir; Chardonnay; Sauvignon Blanc; Semillon and Chenin Blanc.
Dry farmed, A grade Biodynamic certification with Biological Farmers Association (BFA) of Australia.
The Cullen Mangan Vineyard
Owned by Rick Cullen and Bettina Mangan
Planted: 1995 and 1997
Area: 21 hectares (52 acres)
Varieties grown: Malbec; Merlot; Petit Verdot; Sauvignon Blanc; Semillon
Dry farmed, A grade Biodynamic certification with Biological Farmers Association (BFA) of Australia.
“Vanya Cullen has taken her Cabernet Merlot to the top echelon of Australian Cabernet through dogged determination, curiosity and superb technical skills. The exemplary vineyard site is planted on ancient granitic soils…Cullen has adopted the principles of biodynamic viticulture to achieve greater individuality of site through working with nature rather than against it. Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot is pure bottled philosophy.”
-Andrew Caillard, Langtons Fine Wines.
Winemaking
The Cullen winemaking approach is that we will do whatever it takes to make outstanding wines. Quality is paramount and every winemaking step incorporates this philosophy. The wines can only be as good as the grapes. The uniqueness of Cullen Wines comes in part from the vineyard. 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.
As Diana and Kevin Cullen had such great foresight to plant on one of the great winegrowing sites in Margaret River, the winemakers job, working with such high quality fruit, has been made pleasurable.
There is, however, still a lot of experimentation and hard work which takes place in the winery at all times.
At all steps of the process the wine (or wine to be) is treated gently and with great care.
The process of making the wine involves handling the fruit as little and as gently as possible. Practices such as hand harvesting, very little fruit transport, sorting of the fruit before crushing, minimal wine movement, minimal fining and filtration are used. This helps to ensure that the wine in the bottle is a true expression of the fruit that it is made from.
Biodynamics In The Winery
To take this even further Cullen Wines are harvesting as much as possible using Maria Thun theory Basics. She suggests that the moon in a constellation has a favourable influence on the elemental relationship of fire which makes it better for harvest giving greater intensity and preservation of fruit flavour.
The wines are mostly making themselves with little or no intervention. This means indigenous yeast, no additions of any kind, minimal oak use and fining.
We would like to think that in both the vineyard and winery we are working with nature rather than trying to control it. This gives us the lands best and purest potential of expression being put into the bottle.