Cullen Kevin John Chardonnay 2025

The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. A warmer than usual vintage, and dry one, resulted in very small crops, so lovers of this wonderful Chardonnay will need to move quickly to ensure they do not miss out. The good news is that the “tiny crops” meant concentrated fruit and a high quality vintage. It does seem that all Margaret River ever does is provide variations on the theme of high quality vintages. Not that we are complaining. As always, harvesting is dictated by the biodynamic calendar and occurred over five different Fruit and Flower harvest days, with two batches harvested on a Moon opposite Saturn Full Moon event. Mock all you like, but the results are evident for all to see in the bottle. A portion of the fruit went into amphorae for two days’ skin contact, while the remainder was whole bunch pressed to puncheons for a wild fermentation (as in a fermentation simply left to nature, with no inoculated yeast additions). Maturation was for seven months in puncheons, with 50% of them new oak. Shimmering lemon gold in colour, this is certainly youthful but wonderfully balanced and seriously concentrated. On the nose, we have notes of stone fruits, jasmine, peaches, nectarines and beautifully integrated oak. The structure is seamless and there is a fine line of acidity running the full length of the wine. Ideally, leave this for two to three years and then drink it over the following ten to twelve. It really does need a little bit of time to completely come together. The intensity is maintained throughout, and the wine is seriously persistent. Notwithstanding the need for a little more time, this is yet another exquisite addition to the Kevin John series. Stunning stuff.

Ken Gargett

Contributor at Winepilot

Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.

Wine writer and critic