Cullen Wines

VANYA CULLEN - 2020 Halliday Wine Companion Winemaker of the Year!

It’s a great honour and privilege to be named the 2020 Halliday Wine Companion Winemaker of the Year. A heartfelt thanks to my team: Matthew Dermody in the vineyard, Andy Barrett-Lennard in the winery and everyone at Cullen Wines who has contributed to this, past and present.

I would like to thank James Halliday AM and his team Jane Faulkner, Jeni Port and Ned Goodwin MW for choosing me and the Cullen team as winners. It was such an incredible evening at the awards night to win both Winemaker of the Year and Varietal Winner of the Cabernet Sauvignon and Family with the 2017 Diana Madeline! Hardie Grant and the Halliday team hosted an amazing night, thank you. Thanks to my parents, Diana Madeline and Kevin John, and my family. A huge thank you to the Team at Cullens and the Cullen Wines board for all your hard work and support, I am very grateful! It is deeply pleasing to have this award representing quality wine made sustainably, I feel very blessed!

I would also like to extend my congratulations to all the other winners on the evening, being: Jim Barry Wines (Winery of the Year), Yangarra Estate (Wine of the Year), Shy Susan Wines (Best New Winery), Dal Zotto Wines (Dark Horse of the Year) and Domaine Naturaliste (Best Value Winery of the Year). I would also like to congratulate the producers from our Margaret River Region who were varietal winners, being: Flowstone (Sauvignon Blanc), Moss Wood (Chardonnay), Stella Bella Suckfizzle (Sauvignon Blanc Semillon) and Deep Woods (Cabernet Sauvignon).

In the battle for the heavyweight crown of Australian wine, most pundits would have the championship between Penfold's Grange and Henschke's Hill of Grace. Grange's longevity, consistent quality and international reputation would probably earn it a narrow nod, though personal preference is the ultimate arbitrator.

So often linked, and both brilliant wines, they differ in many ways – think big budget corporate winemaking opposed to a small, high quality and family-run operation. Grange is almost always a Shiraz Cabernet blend, relying largely on the Barossa but also sourcing its fruit from numerous regions - even on occasion venturing past the borders of South Australia into neighbouring states. It is, and always has been, aged in American oak. Quantities vary but there are suggestions that in some vintages production has been as high as 15 000 cases.

Hill of Grace is a single vineyard wine, hailing from the eight-hectare vineyard at Eden Valley in the hills surrounding the Barossa Valley; it is 100 per cent Shiraz, and these days sees mostly French oak. Quantities are a fraction of that of Grange, because, although the actual vineyard also has mataro, semillon and riesling, HoG comes only from the ancient shiraz vines, some of which date back around 150 years. The first Grange, experimental though it might have been, was 1951; the first HoG was 1958.

At this juncture, I would like to propose a third contender It doesn't come from the ancient vineyards of South Australia; it isn’t a Shiraz (a suggestion close to heresy in Australia); and it is made under biodynamic principles. Cullen's, in Margaret River in the Western Australia, makes a number of superb wines but none better than their Diana Madeline, a 'Cabernet and friends' blend. Production is at Hill of Grace levels – between 1000 and 3000 cases, depending on the vintage.

Those who may argue against the credentials of DM could cite the concerns above – not South Australian, not Shiraz and nor does it have the international reputation enjoyed by both Hill of Grace and especially Grange – but they are hardly relevant. More legitimate would be that this is a wine which has offered less than thirty vintages. Consider the first decade ('81 to '90) as the 'decade of establishment', which came immediately before the 'decade of emergence' (1991 to 2000), and now we have just seen the 'decade of stardom' (2001 to 2009). For me, we saw enough in the nineties to know a new star had arrived in the Australian wine firmament, and this last decade has more than confirmed the greatness of the wines. They have earned endless plaudits from every local critic and will surely do so from those outside Australia in time.

Kevin and Diana Cullen moved to the West Australia the late 1940s, when it must have resembled the last frontier. Kevin was a local doctor in the small town of Busselton and established the Busselton Health Survey, which has attracted worldwide interest from the international medical community. He and Di also had an interest in farming and purchased land in the Margaret River region for sheep and cattle. For the next twenty years, the region, several hours south of Perth, was seen as agricultural land and, for those prepared to make the journey, one of Australia's most exciting surfing destinations. It was an odd mix – farmers, surfers and the occasional hippie. The Cullens were not the first medicos in the region; in fact, if you had to get ill in a wine region, Margaret River was definitely the one to pick: Tom Cullity set up Vasse Felix in 1965, followed by Bill Pannell at Moss Wood and the Langans at Xanadu. Peter Pratten then founded Capel Vale soon after. All of them were doctors.

Studies in the sixties by the famous scientist, Dr John Gladstones, suggested the region might be suitable for viticulture, not least because of the maritime climate, low frost risk, ample sunshine and equable temperatures. He felt it compared to St Emilion and Pomerol. Gladstones was following the work of the American geologist, Dr Harold Olmo. It was enough to tempt the Cullens, at Gladstones' direction, into planting an experimental plot – a mere quarter of an acre. In 1971, this was followed by a further seven hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling. It would be nice to think that this was an inspired decision but, in reality, these were the only varieties they could source at the time. The Riesling has long gone, even though it provided the winery with some of their earliest successes in the show system, but the Cabernet proved fortunate in the extreme. The Cullens have now expanded their vineyards to 28 hectares. 

For a very long time in Australia, Coonawarra was King. Cabernet Sauvignon was the noble grape and nowhere did it half as well as Coonawarra. Then, in the 1990s, Shiraz began its inexorable climb to the top of the tree. If that wasn't enough to spoil a Coonawarra winemaker's day, that upstart place full of hippies and surfers in the far corner of Australia was suddenly making Cabernet that the critics were placing on a par with those from the famous cigar-shaped strip of terra rosa soil.

Margaret River has now established itself as Australia's premier location for classic Cabernet – and it has patches of superb Chardonnay, as well. Some will argue that it has every claim to be the finest region for the variety outside Bordeaux, but that will always be an argument for late nights. Their climates are quite similar, with Margaret River's Mediterranean climate and low rainfall over the summer period providing an even accumulation of warmth. It can be too hot (2012 is very likely to fall into this category) or too cool and wet, the latter affected the 2006 harvest, but generally it has the unfair advantage of too many absolutely superb years. I asked Di’s daughter and senior winermaker Vanya if that ever got boring. “Oh God no”, she gasped, horrified at the thought. The soil is dominated by gravel and sandy loam over granite. Whether simply through the power of suggestion or something more serendipitous, the tannins in Margaret River Cabernet are often described as 'gravelly'.

The region leapt from curiosity to 'flavour of the month' when nearby Cape Mentelle picked up successive Jimmy Watson trophies (Australia’s most desirable wine trophy) for their Cabernet in the early eighties (the 1982 and 1983 in the Melbourne Wine Shows of 1983 and 1984, respectively). Suddenly, a district seen as a fringe curiosity became the name, and wine, on everyone's lips.

The early Cullen wines were made by Mike Peterkin of Pierro - yet another doctor. Early success saw expansion and Di Cullen left her physiotherapy practice to become a full-time winemaker. She took over in time for the 1981 vintage. The early wines were straight Cabernet, making their debut with the 1975 vintage. In 1978, a Cabernet Merlot blend was also made. The straight Cabernet was discontinued after the 1981 vintage, as it was felt it was often a little too hard. Reserve wines were also made from 1988 to 1994, but the practice was discontinued after that vintage.

Vanya (named after Chekhov's character), who had attended Roseworthy College, was only the second woman in Australia to become a full wine judge. She is considered to have one of Australia's finest palates and took over as senior winemaker in 1989, after stints with Robert Mondavi and Joseph Drouhin. In 2000, she became the first woman to be named 'Australia's Winemaker of the Year'. Sadly, Kevin Cullen passed away in 1994 and Di followed in 2003.

The vines that now provide the Diana Madeline – the wine was so dubbed with the 2001 vintage, as a tribute to Vanya's mother – were planted in 1971 (with some subsequent plantings in the 1990s from the Mangan Vineyard, used because they mature sufficiently to provide top-notch fruit), using what are known locally as the 'Houghton clones'. Cullen's is located in the Willyabrup subregion of Margaret River, which features the granitic soils typical of Margaret River. The old vines have sent their roots down seven metres into the granitic soil, moderating the tougher years. The vines are on Scott Henry trellising. Vanya's belief is that this assists in providing darker fruits and more supple tannins, as well as a “better ripeness at lower alcohol levels”, all of which helps to instil “a feeling of place” into the wines.

Cabernet is the dominant variety, with varying amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and even occasionally some Malbec and Petit Verdot, all of which are vinified separately and then matured in a mix of new and used French oak for a year and a half, as a general rule. A small amount, usually around 10 to 15 per cent, sees partial barrel fermentation while the remainder of the fruit enjoys extended maceration. The oak is usually about 30 per cent new (again, it varies from vintage to vintage), with Vanya preferring the tighter grained French oaks. Her preference is for barrels from the Louis Latour cooperage, although she is also fond of those from Taransaud.

Vanya believes that the vines now have significant age to provide a much greater depth of fruit, describing the style of DM as “about freshness and complexity, structure and suppleness”. She believes that the soil, in warmer years, imparts ironstone nuances to the wines. In cooler years, this comes across more as a seaweed character.

Vanya is one of Australia's strongest proponents of biodynamics, which she sees as “the combination of working with the soil, the plants and the cosmos”. Certification was granted in 2003, with the first vintage following a year later– they had been fully organic since 1998. She believes that it achieves “greater individuality of site through working with nature rather than against it", and that it improves the level of oxygen in the soil, allowing for better dispersal of the root system. Furthermore, Vanya finds that the “vines are more balanced” and that this alleviates the need for thinning. There is better ripeness when alcohol levels are lower. This also allows her to pick earlier, sometimes finishing before neighbouring vineyards have even started. Operating under the theories of Rudolph Steiner, Vanya makes her own compost. Preparations of 500 (cow manure buried under female cow horns over the winter and used “when the moon is in opposition to Saturn or on a descending moon” - seriously), which is sometimes combined with fish emulsion, and 501 (ground silica, again buried under female cow horns but this time over summer) are applied twice in the autumn and twice in the summer, with extra 501 if there is a problem with insects or poor ripening, though Vanya has found that biodynamics strengthen the vines making them more able to resist insect attack on their own.

Causurina tea is applied to prevent downy mildew and botrytis - two litres for every hectare is usually sufficient. Cullen's use an under vine weeder, which controls the South African garden weevil; tthe weevil has no known local predators and the weeder disrupts its breeding cycle. Not surprisingly, Vanya is delighted with the result, describing it as “this is how we see the vineyard being sustainable – the old vines will produce consistent, balanced, quality fruit for many years to come”!

Vanya has also set up beehives for pollination (and for some of the delicious honey ice-cream that is occasionally available at the restaurant) but even that had unforeseen difficulties. It seems the bees showed no interest in the vines and had to be “trained” with chardonnay blossom essence. The restaurant also benefits from the biodynamic and organic garden that allows the kitchen team to select ingredients on a daily basis. Few producers anywhere take such a holistic and committed approach, not only to their vineyards and wines but to their entire operation.

The noticeably finer tannins in recent years are attributed to the move to biodynamics, however Vanya believes that it is the use of basket presses, since 2007, which has taken the tannin structure to an entirely new level. What she believes is important, though, is not so much setting up an “intentional direction” but rather the outcome. Her view is that “the most important decision my family ever made was the choice of site”.

There has been no fining of the reds since 1999 and native yeasts have only been used since 1996. No wine has had any acid addition, which is almost compulsory in Australia, since the 2005 vintage. 

What was extraordinary about the tasting of these wines was the freshness evident through the entire range, and the longevity – twenty years is no challenge at all for these wines. Indeed, it seems almost necessary. It confirmed that Margaret River is not only one of the world's finest regions for Cabernet-based wines but that Cullen's is surely the leading proponent of the style. It is difficult to imagine any producer from Coonawarra or Napa Valley, or any but the very best of Bordeaux, being able to put forward three decades of Cabernet, with such brilliant quality, year after year.