Cullen Wines
Posted by Adam Morganstern on Mar 18, 2008 in Western Australia
In 1966, on the recommendation of Dr John Gladstones and Viticulturalist Bill Jamieson, Dr Kevin and Mrs Diana Cullen planted the first trial vines in the region. The results of the trial vineyard were so successful, that five years later, the Cullens planted 18 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling on their sheep and cattle farm. Between 1977 and 1978 the vineyard was extended to include Chardonnay, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. The Cullens, never afraid of experimentation, planted the first Merlot vines in Australia at this time and trialled revolutionary canopy and trellising techniques. While Kevin Cullen supervised vineyard and winery activities, Diana Cullen was the sole winemaker until 1986, when she was joined by daughter Vanya, who assumed prime responsibility in 1989. Cullen Wines has since evolved into an estate specialising in single vineyard, premium quality wines focused on wine integrity, rather than rapid expansion.The climate and vineyard site dictates the philosophy of Cullen Wines. The Maritime climate of Margaret River allows a near perfect environment in which to grow the finest quality grapes. These 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. All vineyard activities ie pruning and harvesting are done by hand and 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. The winery is on the same site as the vineyard which means that the grapes do not get damaged during transport.Organic practices and minimal intervention apply to both vineyard and winery with many wines now being fermented with natural yeasts and undergoing minimal filtration. Cullen has “A” grade organic certification with the Biological Farmers Association and hopes to be certified Biodynamic after vintage in 2004.
