Cullen 'Diana Madeline' Wilyabrup Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2020
The 'Diana Madeline' Wilyabrup Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot is the flagship red wine of Cullen and is considered one of the very best of its type in Australia and beyond. The vineyard is located in Wilyabrup, 20 kilometres north of the Margaret River township. Planted in 1971, the Cabernet Sauvignon comprises 11.33 hectares, while the Merlot was planted in 1976 and covers 1.76 hectares. The conversion to biodynamic viticulture is believed to have produced better fruit, the character of which is preserved during the winemaking process. The grapes were hand picked and carefully sorted. Each variety was fermented separately with indigenous yeasts. The wine matured for 13 months in French oak, of which 50% was new, in a mixture of barriques and puncheons, with some biodynamic oak used. Deeply perfumed on the nose with sumptuous aromas of mulberry, chocolate, wild rose, and salty plum. Both light and intense on the palate, with a juicy fruit core of mulberry, plum and cherry. This unctuous fruit is framed by fine grained tannins and Wilyabrup earth, ironstone, and dust, which expresses the heat of the vintage and complements the concentration of the fruit.
