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2017 Full Moon Vanya

Cullen Vineyard, with its land, vines, wines and people… is my life’s work. Over the 3 decades of working at Cullen the love for Cabernet Sauvignon has deepened. Planted in 1971, it is the heart and soul of what we do at Cullen.

This wine of the 2015 vintage is a tribute to the land and the vines it came from. Pure expression of a great year. No additions of yeast, acid, malolactic culture nor fining. The wines grown on these ancient soils are certified biodynamic, carbon neutral and powered naturally by solar power.

Vintage Notes

Strikingly similar harvest to 2014 in terms of weather and yields. Similar rainfall, dry from October to March. One difference was the Marri blossom which did not flower until after harvest, this created a lot of bird pressure.

The time of harvest was almost identical to 2014, however the wine styles are different. 2015 wines are characterised by lots of perfume, purity and great elegance whereas the 2014 wines are about fruit power and purity.

2015 had some hot days, cool nights, a small amount of rain, and although the yields were low it has produced outstanding wines. Harvest finished on the 11th of March.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Medium red with ruby tinges. Cellar: 30 plus years. Bouquet: Plum, Cherries with lifted floral notes. Palate: Medium bodied with dark cherries, blueberries and savoury notes on the finish.

Reviews

Author: Huon Hooke Publication: The Real Review Date: 18th Nov 2017 Score: 98 points

The colour is not very dark but is a very bright and deep, full purple/red. The bouquet speaks of violets and mixed berries; oak is barely evident. The tannins are very fine and the wine is subtle, elegant and beautifully balanced. Wonderful cedary complexity. Elegance personified. It’s all about the purity of the fruit. A beautiful wine. (150 dozen made. Harvested on a full-moon fruit day, from the oldest vines on the Cullen vineyard. Fermented in wax-lined 300-litre terra cotta vessels. It spent 10 weeks on skins, and just 5 months in oak barrels, of which 2/3 were new.)

Author: Mike Bennie Publication: The Wine Front Date: 15th Jan 2018 Score: 97+ points

Cullen’s extraordinary ‘Vanya’ release created quite a stir from 2012, and returns in 2015 having been fermented and matured in amphora before a shorter (five month) stint in oak (two thirds of which are new). The currency of vessels aside, the fruit, grown biodynamically of course, is from older vines under the care of Cullen. An emphatic assertion about Australia, Margaret River, fine wine Down Under, and the dedication of the Cullen family.

A wine of immense presence yet understatement and finesse. Succulence in texture, fine, powdery tannins reaching impossibly long in the palate, a deep stain of black berries and bayleaf – sounds familiar but it’s the way its packed so impossibly finely into its neat, filigree frame where the magic is. There’s a plume of fine perfume, spiced, gently woody, dark in fruit and lifted on undergrowth and peppery spice character. So much charm here. And quiet power. And precision in the way it hits the mouth tight, building in grip, lingering with mouthwatering readiness. Elegance in wine can be ephemeral as concept or definition, but here’s one for Encyclopaedia Britannica. Outstanding

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Previous Releases

  • 2015 Vanya Cabernet Sauvignon

    Cullen Vineyard, with its land, vines, wines and people… is my life’s work.

    Read more    View Tasting Notes

  • 2017 Flower Day Vanya

    This wine of the 2017 vintage is a tribute to the land and the vines it came from. Pure expression of a great year for Cullen Wines.

    Read more    View Tasting Notes