Our Rating
Western Australia
Cabernet Sauvignon Blend
The 2022 Diana Madeline serves as a flagship bottling for Cullen Wines and highlights the distinct capabilities of the Wilyabrup sub-region in Margaret River. This area is renowned for its ancient gravelly soils which allow Bordeaux varietals to ripen while retaining fresh acidity. The 2022 vintage was characterized as a warm season which contributed to the fruit concentration and muscular structure of this wine. It is composed of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller portions of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. The wine spent 14 months maturing in 55% new French oak; this regime adds focused structural definition without overshadowing the fruit profile.
Cullen Wines was founded in 1971 in Margaret River and remains a family estate identified with rigorous farming and long-term sustainability goals. The Cullen Vineyard sits in Wilyabrup, a key subregion for structured Cabernet blends, and the winery has built its reputation on consistent site expression across vintages. The estate is widely associated with organic and biodynamic viticulture, and those practices are part of Cullen’s long-running identity rather than a recent marketing shift.
Vanya Cullen has led the winemaking team since 1989 and serves as the Managing Director of the estate. She is widely recognized for transitioning the vineyard to organic and subsequently biodynamic certification. Her approach combines technical precision with a deep respect for natural processes. She aims to minimize intervention in the cellar to allow the vineyard characteristics to remain the primary focus of the finished wine. Under her direction, the winery continues to refine its techniques to ensure purity and structural integrity in every vintage.
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate awarded 97 points, with the note emphasizing both warm-season ripeness and cooler-season nuance, plus savory details like iodine and kelp alongside fruit and cocoa. JamesSuckling.com also lists 97 points, describing a deeply perfumed profile with dark berries, violets, tobacco, and ferric earth. Taken together, the scores align with the wine’s intent as a structured, age-worthy Cabernet blend that aims for detail and longevity rather than an easy, fruit-forward style.
Look
Deep ruby to garnet at the core with a purple edge, suggesting a young Cabernet-led blend with concentration. The wine shows moderate viscosity in the glass, pointing to density and extract without feeling syrupy. Clarity is high, and the color saturation is consistent with a flagship, cellar-worthy Margaret River red.
Smell
The aromatics lead with blackcurrant and cassis, then open into black plum and black cherry with a floral lift of violet. Cedar and graphite sit underneath, with hints of tobacco leaf, dried herbs, and a light cocoa tone that reads as oak seasoning rather than sweetness. With air, the nose becomes more layered, and the savory elements move forward alongside the fruit.
Taste
Full-bodied and structured, with cassis and dark plum framed by steady acidity that keeps the fruit profile focused. Tannins are firm and fine-grained, more chalky and grippy than creamy, which is consistent with a Cabernet-driven blend built for aging. Oak registers as cedar, baking spice, and a touch of mocha and vanilla, staying integrated rather than dominant. The finish is long and persistent, carrying graphite, dark tea, and a mineral edge that lingers after the fruit fades.
The 2022 Diana Madeline is a confident and age-worthy style that illustrates the potential of the Cullen Vineyard site. It delivers concentration without excess weight and balances the ripeness of the warm 2022 season with the fresh acidity typical of Margaret River. While approachable now with sufficient aeration, the tight structure and fine-grained tannins indicate that this wine will continue to evolve gracefully over the next two decades. It holds its place among the region’s more serious bottlings and pairs well with roasted meats or rich vegetable dishes.
Australia
Western Australia
Cabernet Sauvignon Blend
13.5
Vanya Cullen
1-2 hours
Now to 2042
Cullen Wines
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