Cullen (Diana Madeline) Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1996

Cullen (Diana Madeline) Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1996James Halliday Top 100 Wines of 1998 Cullen is an iconic Margaret River winery and the Diana Madeline is their flagship red wine. It is famed for its quality and consistency, is sought after by collectors world wide and is a worthy regional benchmark. It is a classic Cabernet Sauvignon dominant Bordeaux blend grown on an exemplary vineyard. In 1996 Cullen was embracing organic viticultural practices and was well down the path to Organic Certification.

What are some wine trends you're expecting to see

In youth it's superbly understated

"   2001 Sydney International Wine Competition Top 100

Sexton Vineyard  (Lower Yarra Valley)

this wine is grown at three sites at Bannockburn and matured in French oak barriques (with limited new oak)

I tend to say that Plénitude 2 is "more" Dom Pérignon

Wallcliffe Chardonnay

for the quality delivered

blackcurrant cabernet character dressed elegantly in cedary oak

which is in the hinterland of the Surf Coast and the Great Ocean Road

That long-sighted view is one that Cullen agrees with

powerful style that has been released non-sequentially after the 2009