Cullen &
Margaret River
at the Peak of the World’s Fine Wine
There comes a moment when a wine region moves beyond promise and comparison, and enters a phase of quiet certainty.
For Margaret River, that moment has arrived and at the forefront of this evolution stands Vanya Cullen, and Cullen Wines. The quality now emerging from Cullen is not exceptional within an Australian context alone. It is world-class fine wine by any international measure, marked by precision, power, balance and longevity.
This is not just success in the present, but fittingly… the shaping of a lasting legacy.
A Region That Has Fully Arrived
Margaret River’s evolution is no longer theoretical. Leading critics now describe a region that has refined both its style and its understanding of longevity.
This refinement is not about fashion. It is about maturity, both of vineyards and philosophy. Margaret River has reached a stage where elegance and longevity coexist naturally.
Writing in The Vintage Journal, Andrew Caillard MW and Ken Gargett describe a clear shift in the region’s Cabernet wines, noting a move “away from the dense, grippy claret of yesteryear to a more refined, elegant, buoyant and sinuous style.” Crucially, they highlight that this refinement reflects a deeper understanding of tannin management and structure, a change that will “lead to wines that show better ageing potential than ever before.”
That message is now resonating internationally. Following their judging visits to Margaret River, International Wine & Spirits Competition global judge Melania Battiston and Sarah Abbot MW, shared their thoughts on the region.
“We are now ambassadors of this region after this trip. It is our duty to communicate how refined these wines are, to source them, to place them on our lists, and to spread the word of Margaret River.”
- Melania Battiston, International Wine & Spirits Competition Judge“It’s an exciting and important time to be judging wines in Margaret River, and to be visiting the Great Southern. The wines have been brilliant for years, with some iconic and world-famous producers. But we are now seeing growing appreciation and valuing of the unique personality and elite quality of the region.”
- Sarah Abbot MW, International Wine & Spirits Judging Committee Member
Fellow judge Beth Pearce reinforced the point, describing Margaret River as “almost like an insider secret at the moment in the fine wine world,” recognising not just quality, but the region’s growing global relevance.
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What distinguishes this current era? It’s consistency.
Vintage after vintage, the region delivers wines with incredible purity of fruit, natural acidity, refined structure and length and depth of flavour.
Margaret River no longer needs qualification. Its maritime climate, ancient soils and consistent growing conditions allow Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon to reach full expression without excess or artifice.
The region now produces wines of clarity and balance that mirror the hallmarks of the world’s great classical regions, while retaining the distinct Margaret River identity.
Margaret River is no longer emerging. Cullen Wines is no longer proving a point.
Together, they stand at the peak of the world’s fine wine.
Chardonnay at the Highest Level
“Truly one of the most excellent chardonnays I’ve ever tasted, unquestionably the Montrachet of Australian wine.”
- James Suckling, jamessuckling.com
(2014 Cullen Legacy Series Flower Day Chardonnay)
The Kevin John Chardonnay and Legacy Series Flower Day Chardonnay represent some of the most complete expressions of Chardonnay produced anywhere in the world today. Both were awarded 99 points by James Suckling, who described the Flower Day Chardonnay as “pure magic” and the Kevin John as “iconic… one for the ages.”
In youth, these wines are defined by clarity and precision. Citrus, white stone fruit and saline minerality sit on a line of natural acidity, giving the wines immediate energy and shape. There is restraint rather than excess, with oak playing a supporting role rather than a defining one. Even early on, the wines feel composed, complete and unforced.
With time in bottle, Cullen Chardonnay undergoes a profound and measured transformation. Primary fruit softens and broadens, giving way to layers of savoury complexity. Notes of beeswax, preserved lemon, roasted nuts and subtle umami emerge, while the core of acidity remains intact. Texture deepens, the palate gains volume and length, and the wine develops a quiet authority that only comes with age.
What distinguishes these wines as they mature is not just complexity, but balance. They do not trade freshness for richness, nor tension for weight. Instead, structure carries flavour, and precision anchors power. This is Chardonnay shaped by clarity of site and intent, capable of evolving gracefully over decades without losing its sense of place or energy.
“Complex aromas of lemon confit, beeswax, wet river stones and flint with spices, toasted nuts and orange blossoms. An array of flavors. The palate shines with perfection, while the textural and ethereal mouthfeel is every chardonnay-lover’s dream. Pure magic.
100 Points, James Suckling, jamessuckling.com
(2014 Cullen Legacy Series Flower Day Chardonnay)
Cullen’s recent releases represent the culmination of decades of vineyard maturity, biodynamic farming and uncompromising intent.
The wines show an extraordinary sense of completeness. Fruit, structure, acidity and texture exist in harmony, with nothing exaggerated and nothing missing.
Cullen’s Cabernet wines represent one of the clearest expressions of world-class Cabernet Sauvignon in the world.
Diana Madeline and Vanya, particularly from the outstanding 2023 vintage, combine fine-grained tannins, natural acidity and deeply expressive fruit. The wines possess authority without heaviness and power without aggression. They are composed, measured and unmistakably built for long-term cellaring.
This capacity to age effortlessly over decades is the defining trait of the world’s great Cabernet regions. Margaret River, through wines such as these, has earned its place among them.
Cullen Cabernet: Power, Precision, Longevity
2023 Cullen Diana Madeline Cabernet Sauvignon
99 Points, Ray Jordan, rayjordan.com.au
'Okay. I’ve tasted every one of the Diana Madeline vintages, and I can say absolutely that I have never had a better one than this.”
Opens with a highly scented perfume that lifts exotically from the glass. Then notes of bay leaf and black olive fill out a little before more ethereal notes of violet and glazed cherry emerge. The palate carries the typical firm thread of tannin that marks the style, but there is a warm wrap of fleshy, succulent fruit. Structured and vibrant with an underlying energy. A wine of tremendous energy and verve. Great wine!'
99 points, Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot
“Put bluntly, this is perhaps the finest young Australian Cabernet I can recall seeing. It is simply brilliant.
The blend is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Merlot, with that last one percent a mix of Malbec and Petit Verdot. The maturation was for fourteen months in French oak, with 40% of it new. An inky dark maroon colour, this is concentrated and seamless. We have aromas of dark, rich chocolate, cocoa beans, plums, beef stock, graphite, mulberries, cloves and blackberries. Elegance and refinement here, this is all class and there is wonderful length, with the wine finishing with the silkiest tannins. There is immaculate balance and amazing intensity and yet the wine dances with freshness and energy. The image that keeps appearing here is Muhammed Ali at his peak, dancing with grace. The more time in the glass or in an open bottle you can give it, the more rewards will come. Surely one of the greatest Cabernets made in this country, perhaps Vanya’s best ever, and it confirms that 2023 in Margaret River, a region of seemingly endless fine vintages – is truly special. Why not 100? I do feel it deserves it, but I simply do not trust Vanya not to come up with something even better next vintage.”
98 points, Erin Larkin, Robert Parker Wine Advocate
“Is this the finest and best Diana Madeline made to date? Perhaps! What a wine.”
'The 2023 Diana Madeline is an exciting wine. The 2023 season was mild, dry and quite spectacular. There was some rain at the very end of the red harvest, and this was a very site-specific thing, not widespread over the region. Aromatically, the wine is intensely perfumed: graphite and pressed lavender, wet rose petals, raspberry pip, liquorice, concrete and summer rain. This gives everything that I could hope for in an early-release Cabernet: dark fruit and exotic spice, mineral detail and more. The chalky and fine tannins shape the palate and spool out long over the finish. Is this the finest and best Diana Madeline made to date? Perhaps! What a wine. Highly recommended. It's the perfect example of great Australian Cabernet: power without weight, look no further. 13.7% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Here, the fruit was handpicked over seven dates, starting middle of March and culminating on a moon opposite the Saturn astral event in early April. The blend is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot, with the 1% balance comprising Malbec and Petit Verdot.”
98 Points, James Suckling, jamessusckling.com
So much purity and precision, showing aromas of blackcurrants, graphite, violets, cedar and licorice with a core of black fruit intertwined with undertones of spices, bitter chocolate and iron. The wonderfully poised palate has firm yet refined tannins and a plush, midweight mouthfeel. Mouthwatering granitic finish. The structure and tension will develop for decades. Made from 94% cabernet sauvignon, 2% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and touches of malbec and petit verdot. Excellent. Screw cap. Drink or hold.
98 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Ranked #1 of 25 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon blends from Margaret River
Very deep, saturated purple colour introduces a very big and powerful DM. Amazing intensity and lots of stuffing. Chocolate, vanilla, black fruits galore. A huge and astonishing wine that has enormous potential.
What Cullen offers is not just a measure of how far Margaret River has come, but a question of where it now belongs. These are wines shaped by patience, conviction and time, and they invite the same in return.
The true measure may not be how they impress today, but how they are spoken about decades from now.