2022 Cullen Diana Madeline

Highly Rated
Simply one of Australia's finest wines year after year. A benchmark Margaret River Cabernet blend of the highest order.
5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
9 Reviews

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Sale price$150.00
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Description

The Diana Madeline is one of the true icon wines of Australia.

Produced by one of the most renowned wineries in Margaret River, the Diana Madeline represents the pinnacle of Australian viticultural and winemaking prowess and is unsurprisingly one of the top 5 most collectable wines in the country.

This elite blend of Bordeaux varieties is farmed with an almost militant adherence to the principals of biodynamic farming. Owner/winemaker Vanya Cullen is one of the most outspoken advocates of the benefits of these practices in the industry and her results speak for themselves.

If you are a collector of Australia's best Cabernet blends, the Diana Madeline is a wine you need in your cellar.

99 points
"Ethereal cassis, marzipan, violet... superb mineral length... pristine and sinuous with excellent cellaring potential."
- Andrew Caillard MW (The Vintage Journal)

98 points
"Shy bouquet, fine tannins... tremendous depth and muscle... bode well for its future."
- Huon Hooke (The Real Review)

98 points
"Sweet mulberry, violets, cassis... emery-like tannins... concentrated and ripe with discreet oak."
- Huon Hooke (The Real Review)

98 points
"Bright and brilliant... nervy tense energy... chalky tannins and elegant oak... decades of life ahead."
- Ray Jordan (Wine Pilot)

98 points
"Plums, cassis, spices, chocolate... immense length... silky yet grippy tannins... finely balanced."
- Ken Gargett

99 points - “Deep colour. Ethereal cassis, light marzipan, vanilla with hints of violet. Fresh blackcurrant pastille, marzipan, cedar flavour and fine bittersweet/ grainy tannins. Finishes claret firm, with pure dark berry fruits and superb mineral length. Elegantly proportioned, pristine and sinuous with excellent cellaring potential. A genuine Australian First Growth highlighting the genius of vineyard site, meticulous harvesting (five separate picking times), empathetic and imaginative winemaking. 89% cabernet sauvignon, 5% merlot, 3% cabernet franc, 3% malbec, 14 months maturation in new (55%) and seasoned French oak. A classic vintage; up there with the best. Keep for a while to allow some bottle age development as you will be greatly rewarded.” - Andrew Caillard MW (The Vintage Journal)

98 points - “Deep, bright red-purple colour with a reserved, shy bouquet that leads into a similarly latent palate where masses of fine tannins lie stealthily in wait. Subtle violet and blackberry traces. There is tremendous depth and muscle to this wine but it is still a little in its shell and needs more time to open. Masses of tannin bode well for its future in the cellar. Decanting may work if broaching it young. (89% cabernet sauvignon, 5% merlot, 3% cabernet franc, 3% malbec. Aged in 55% new oak for 14 months).” - Huon Hooke (The Real Review)

98 points - “Deep bright purple-red colour leading into a stylish bouquet of sweet mulberry and other berry fruits, violets and cassis, succulent and mouth-filling, with masses of fine emery-like tannins that run the length of the palate adding authority, structure, length and refreshment to the aftertaste. Concentrated, super ripe blackberry, cassis and mulberry flavours; oak tucked discreetly into the background.” - Huon Hooke (The Real Review)

98 points - “Really delivers as you might expect from this excellent concentrated and powerfully framed vintage in Margaret River. It is dominant Cabernet with smaller portions of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Typical of this wine since switching to biodynamics, it is bright and brilliant with a nervy tense energy to drive the palate. The succulent fruit is harnessed by fine chalky tannins and neatly played oak of which 55% was new. A wine of extraordinary elegance and poise with a life of many decades.” - Ray Jordan (Wine Pilot)

98 points - “Needless to say, Margaret River enjoyed another superb vintage with the 2022 season. Slightly cooler, Cullen report that it was a vintage of “immense perfume and texture”. This wine will be released early February to coincide with Diana’s 101st birthday. The wine is a wonderfully vibrant purple in colour. The nose gives up plums, cassis, spices including nutmeg, chocolate, mocha, bay leaves, cigar box notes – think a freshly opened box of Cohiba Siglo VI – and near perfect oak integration. This is finely balanced and exhibiting immense length on a palate that sees the emergence of aniseed, mulberries and coffee beans. An alluringly supple texture with the silkiest of tannins, though plenty of them – there really is some grip here. This will easily sail through fifteen to twenty years in a good cellar.” - Ken Gargett

97 points - "The best wines are distinctive with a clear DNA link to place. Diana Madeline is one such wine. An excellent deep purple hue with an ever-changing array of aromas: one minute spice, mulberries and cocoa when first poured, and next full of savoury notes of black olive tapenade, nori and menthol. As usual, it’s beautifully framed yet the fuller-bodied palate is plumped up by textural, expansive tannins and finishes long. Get a spot ready in the cellar, this has time on its side." - Jane Faulkner (Halliday Wine Companion)

93 points - "Black and blue fruit, baking spice oak, some violet perfume, ripe raspberries too. It’s a plush wine with plenty of sweet red fruit, grainy tannin, a layer of sweet spiced oak, some earthy/ferrous character, but largely defined by slightly jubey red fruit and sweet spiced oak. It has a chewiness and plenty of flavour, though maybe lacks the customary depth and intensity of Cullen DM. Length is good. Looked much more cohesive after 24 hours, with better integration of tannin and oak, and more depth." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

Customer Reviews

5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
Based on 9 reviews
Total 5 star reviews: 9 Total 4 star reviews: 0 Total 3 star reviews: 0 Total 2 star reviews: 0 Total 1 star reviews: 0
9 reviews
  • SM
    Sean M.
    Verified Buyer
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    2 years ago
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    Reviewing
    2021 Cullen Diana Madeline
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Consistency is key

    Another great vintage (unsurprisingly). Moreish!

  • TC Profile picture for Tim C.
    Tim C.
    Verified Buyer
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    2 years ago
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    Reviewing
    2021 Cullen Diana Madeline
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Another great release

    An icon of Australian wine. Looking forward to seeing how it develops over the years to come.

  • WP
    Wayne P.
    Verified Buyer
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    2 years ago
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    Reviewing
    2021 Cullen Diana Madeline
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Consistent excellence

    Another super vintage of a classic

The 2022 Diana Madeline is a culmination of over 50 years of dedication effort and respect for the land to make the best quality wine. The vintage was perfect for elegant cabernet sauvignon, with warm conditions early and then cooler conditions making it an epic vintage with reds ripening earlier than usual. Hand harvested over 5 biodynamic calendar days from 12th March to 16th March, three flower days and culminating on a full Moon fruit day when Venus and Saturn were in conjunction.

An average of 30 days on skins. The wine spent 14 months in 55% new oak. In a mixture of biodynamic barriques and puncheons. The final blend comprises 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 3% Malbec.

The Cabernet Sauvignon vines were planted in 1971, Merlot 1976, Cabernet Franc 1976 and Malbec in 1978… beautiful old vine wine.

VINEYARD
100% Cullen Vineyard
VARIETIES
89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc & 3% Malbec
HARVEST
Fruit and flower days between 12th and 28th March, including a MOSH fruit and a super Moon flower day.
OAK
15 months in 50% new oak
ALCOHOL
13.5%

Price Bracket $101 and Above
Body Full Bodied
Variety Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety Style ["Cabernet Blends"]
Country Australia
Region Margaret River
Australian State WA
Feature High Score
Iconic
Organic
Women in Wine
Reviewed By Halliday Wine Companion
The Wine Front
The Real Review
The Wine Advocate
Wine Pilot
Critic Score 99
98
97
93
Size 13

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