2018 Cullen Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot

Community Tasting Notes (5) Avg Score: 92 points

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  8/20/2022 - graemeg wrote:

  {screwcap, 13.5%} Very black in all respects. Mix of currant and black olive. Mild powdery tannins. Medium weight but without a lot of depth. Low/medium acid. A hint of being a bit stretched, but only a hint. Drink soon for best effect , but no rush otherwise.

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  2/15/2021 - graemeg wrote:

  {screwcap, 13.5%} Deep ruby garnet, youthful looking. Nose of peppery currants, with a lean, herbal quality. The palate is fairly ripe, with a hint of characteristic Margaret river black olive. Less rich and lavish than you might expect from the nose, being fairly acidic, with medium finely gritty tannins, but the same black and dark green flavours, dry and almost tart. Medium weight, with a just-medium length finish. At a quarter the price of the flagship red, it’s not bad value, but it’s always got a leanness about it. This is ok, but I wouldn’t really expect proper development however long you cellar it.

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  6/27/2020 - Frijole wrote:

  deep dark inky blackish red, little clarity, maroon hue
  Nose: blackberry, plum, cigar, chocolate, earth, dust, oak
  Pal: blackberry, plum, cigar, minerals, chocolate, earth, dust, oak
  Feel: medium, savory
  Finish: medium
  T7

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  6/21/2020 - Screwcaps wrote: 92 Points

  2018 Cullen Cab-M.
  
  Deep red-black.
  
  Black olive, leafy green and purple florals and fresh cut oak nose.
  
  Clean and crunchy medium bodied. Fresh Black fruit.
  
  Black tea. Green pepper. Salty black olives and nori.
  
  Minerals, almost metallic, bitter tannin. Fine and with plenty of grip. Excellent length of flavour, but it’s pretty boney, direct and structural right now.
  
  Needs time to show some more detail, for tannins to soften and integrate. Very Cullen in style- elegant and picked on the edge of ripeness.
  
  Notably austere, coiled up, and elegant for a Margaret River Cabernets especially from a powerful vintage like 2018.
  
  I preferred the 2017 at a similar junction, by a smidge. The 2017 drank well early, whereas this needs time. Even now on this day three it’s trying to stare you down.
  
  Come back in 2 years to see if it’s more compliant and ready to share with friends. I hope to like it in time, it’s not too willing to be friends right now.
  
  92+. 4 out of 5.

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  12/8/2019 - John Arney Likes this wine:

  Origin: Western Australia | Style: Red Wine | Sweetness/Fullness: Medium Bodied | Grape: Cabernet Merlot | Vintage: 2018 vintage | Alcohol Level: 13.5% | Drink Dates: Now to 2033 | Closure Type: Screwcap | Price £: 25.00 / Bottle |
  Producer: Cullen Winery
  
  Cullen is one of the original pioneers of Western Australia’s top wine region, Margaret River and the name is synonymous with small-winery excellence. In the 1960s Kevin and Diana Cullen, owners of a sheep and cattle farm at Willyabrup, planted a trial acre of vines here on the advice of scientists, whose studies indicated that Margaret River had some very special qualities for grape-growing. The encouraging results of the trial led to the planting of a further 18 acres in 1971, making the Cullen vineyards some of the oldest in the region. First to be planted were cabernet sauvignon and riesling, followed by sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, semillon, merlot, pinot noir and cabernet franc. While Kevin Cullen supervised the vineyard activities, Diana Cullen became one of Australia’s first female winemakers and was in sole charge until 1986, when she was joined by her daughter Vanya.
  Cullen has since evolved into a top-quality estate, specialising in premium wines from single vineyard sites, where yields are kept extremely low. Today, Vanya Cullen is firmly in charge and has established the estate in the top tier of the Australian fine wine scene. In 2000, Vanya became the first woman to receive the accolade of Australian Winemaker of The Year and is admired by her peers for her remarkable tasting abilities. Under Vanya’s guidance, there have been significant developments and improvements in the vineyard, where a rigorously sustainable approach is now followed. Biodynamic practices have also been introduced and Cullen was the first vineyard and winery in Australia to be certified as carbon neutral.
  In 2005, Vanya Cullen’s top wine and arguably Margaret River’s ‘first growth’, Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot was elevated to the ‘exceptional’ category in the prestigious Langton’s classification of Australian wines, making it one of the most highly sought after and prized Australian wines on the market. The Cullen wine style, in essence, is one of refinement, elegance and ageworthiness. The Society has a strong relationship with Cullen, and has sourced Exhibition-label wine from this estate.

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