Cullen Diana Madeline Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2023
The Wine
94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot, with the 1% balance comprising Malbec and Petit Verdot.
99 Pts Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal '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.'
99 Pts 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, beefstock, 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 Pts Erin Larkin, Robert Parker Wine Advocate '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...'
97 Pts Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion 'This Diana Madeline delights as soon as it's poured. A deep, dark purple-red and so vibrant. Ah the aromas next – all cedar wood, oak spices and warm earth with fresh mulberries and blackberry essence. It has concentrated, fabulous fruit on the fuller-bodied palate yet there’s a fineness, too, with supple tannins enmeshed in lively acidity. It’s a gorgeous drink. Too young now as it’s showing off its youthful exuberance. Give this a few more years in the cellar to build more complexity and detail; it's guaranteed to age beautifully for another two or so decades.'
97 Pts Cassandra Charlick, Decanter '2023 was a perfect vintage in Margaret River, and the dry-grown fruit for this wine was hand-harvested over seven picks, before wild fermentation. This is in its absolute infancy, and while the fragrant oak might be the first guest to the party right now, the fruit is undoubtedly the life of it. Pretty dried rose petals, crushed graphite, rose hip, fennel seed, a pinch of oriental spice and salted raspberries hint at what lies ahead. Tight-grained oak tannins link arms with fine fruit tannins, and well-paced natural acidity hums along with lilting rhythm. At its core, there is a purity of bright fruit. A wine of understated elegance and immense power behind its poise. The slight ocean brine on the finish calls you back, like a sea siren. Don’t rush – give this a few years before opening and you’ll be rewarded.'
96+ Pts Mike Bennie, The Wine Front 'A wine needing very little introduction. Hence, piffle here in the intro. The quality of tannins is the part of the great experience, suede, refreshing, persistent, but you can see the pedigree of the wine in detail of dark berry fruits, espresso, mocha, chocolate and liquorice then bay leaf, brine and sea spray, salt bush and mahogany; all this delivers so much to the experience in its layers and layers. It sets out at medium weight and glides, an elegance, a confidence in balance and the harmony on hand. That it is generally just outrageously delicious is the wine’s ace in the hole. Nota bene the dark roast coffee/mocha is noted here and lends a little piquant bitterness and gummy elements in the finish. Quality writ large is the mainstay; top flight stuff.'
The Details
Variety - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Country - Australia
Region - Western Australia
Sub Region - Margaret River
Extra - Screwcap
Year - 2023
Volume - 750ml
