Cullen Kevin John Chardonnay 2025

This sits outside the usual frame of Margaret River Chardonnay. Every year. A singular fruit profile, and a formidable texture that sets it apart. Orange cantaloupe, almond cream, beeswax and flake salt. Honeyed, with ginger spice that nods to ancient winemaking traditions. As if Cullen has been handed a broader, more universal language of wine. In the mouth, the biodynamic fruit shows beeswaxed texture with fine phenolic grip, carried by a fine chalky acid line. It tightens through the palate, still very young, and finely detailed. Concentration is there, but controlled and poised. Cumquat, salted white peach, white pepper and rolled oats. The line expands, wrapped in terracotta-like texture. The finish is long and sustained. A wine that invites you to overcomplicate the language around it.

Cyndal Petty

Wine Critic at Winepilot

A hopeless romantic for wine and food, Cyndal is nearing 15 years in hospitality while still (just) under 30. A Chef-turned-Sommelier and award-winning wine professional, Cyndal recently left a Group Sommelier role where she curated seven wine lists across multiple venues and led the wine team to Gourmet Traveller Wine Bar of the Year—just months after opening. Now freelance, Cyndal is a wine consultant, event host, wine judge, and wine writer. Passionate about sharing wine’s story with the world, she brings a fresh voice and creative solutions to the industry. After studying and traveling through most of her 20s, she’s now based in WA’s southwest, proudly embracing her role as a WA coastal cowgirl.

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