2024 vintage was the hottest, driest and earliest harvest on record. Rainfall turned off like a tap at the end of September 2023, with nominally no rain until the season broke in May 2024. Unseasonable warmth all through the growing season combined with heatwaves in January meant harvest started early and was over extremely quickly. But with sunshine comes flavour and 2024 does not disappoint in fruit weight and concentration. No rain and plenty of sun means wines hit their optimal ripeness (albeit earlier than expected!) and created wines with great depth of flavour and extract.
The ample marri blossom and dry conditions meant both bird and disease pressures were low, the main thing keeping us awake at night was the water stress on our dry grown vines. Both whites and reds show opulence and power that so far show great promise for the future.
‘Always one of our greatest Chardonnays, not just a great Margaret River Chardonnay. Full biodynamics as always, Gin Gin clone from plantings made between 1976 and 1988, largely new oak, we are seeing this wine released in the new lightweight bottles. Environmentally positive, though it does seem to rob the wine of some of its gravitas. Fortunately, it is what is in the bottle that counts. A straw/lemon hue, this is a very youthful Chardonnay, but it is elegance personified, with energy and focus and the signs
of very early complexity. There is a beautifully creamy texture here with fine, citrussy acidity. The nose offers notes of peaches, florals, ginger, hints of nectarine, bergamot and lemon curd. This is poised and taut, a wine of precision. Long and lingering, there are notes of oatmeal on the palate. Leave it for a couple of years and it will be very special. Then enjoy for a further
twelve to fifteen years.’ 97 points. Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot.
‘Vintage after vintage, this is an Australian benchmark chardonnay that commemorates Margaret River pioneer Kevin John Cullen. His daughter Vanya – a finalist for Vigneron of the Year, and her team has crafted another wine that celebrates clarity and purity of the fruit and delivers a delightfully seamless drinking experience.From a hot, dry vintage there is
plenty of concentration and length but also elegance. A hint of flint, citrus and melon nuances, astutely judged oak. Just delightful and worth 97 points.’ Winsor Dobbin, Ciao Magazine.