Cullen Kevin John Chardonnay 2023

From the excellent 2023 vintage in Margaret River, the Kevin John Chardonnay is Cullen’s ‘standard’ Chardonnay, and what a wine. Never less than thrilling these days, the fruit for this wine was harvested over a three-week period then whole bunch pressed before fermentation in a mix of vessels – biodynamic puncheons, amphorae and a concrete egg. Eight months maturation in the puncheons, 80% of which were new, the wine is 100% Gin Gin clone. Balance, elegance and complexity, even at this early stage, are the hallmarks here. Great energy, the nose gives us notes of nuts/cashews, peaches, stonefruit, a hint of riverstones and orange blossoms. Vanilla, florals, honeycomb and a hint of crisp pear, the focus here is superb, through to an impressively long finish. Expect this to drink superbly for at least fifteen years.