Winemaker Notes
The 2005 Diana Madeline is a magnificent inky red color with a dense purple meniscus. The nose combines youthful dark berry fruits with intense potpourri notes for a powerful yet elegant example of Margaret River Cabernet. Dense black cherry and cassis fruits combine with lifted floral notes and fine, dusty tannins, while the exceptionally long finish reflects the quality of both producer and vintage.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2005 Diana Madeline is laden with cocoa and pan drippings, pressed rose petals, bay leaf and tobacco. The wine is tertiary and yet fresh, with layers of cassis and dark chocolate amid the ironstone tannins. Older Margaret River Cabernets tend to show pronounced leafiness, and this is no exception. It holds a freshness that I find to be most attractive. 14% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
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Wine Enthusiast
With only 50 cases imported, this review will be of only academic interest to most consumers, but for those lucky enough to latch onto a bottle or two, try to hold off opening one until 2015 or so. Right now, it's oh so promising, but also very tight. Scents of toasted almonds, vanilla and cassis only stubbornly emerge, and the wine is clearly packed with potential but also showing a lot of tannin on the finish.
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Wine Spectator
This has elegance and presence, striking a lovely balance between firm texture and fresh fruit flavors, with tannins. The flavors persist winningly. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2009 through 2015. 50 cases imported.
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Wine & Spirits
The Cullens grow this cabernet blend under biodynamic principles, working with 30-year-old vines. The fine scent of oak and the amplitude that aging in barrel can provide is the most immediate impression. Later, once the wine develops with air, fragrant cherry and blueberry scents come forward, along with firm, gentle tannins. The wine doesn't feel pushed at all, its natural balance certain to sustain it for years in the cellar.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Home to some of Australia’s most elegant and long-lived red and white wines, Margaret River is situated in the farthest reaches of Western Australia. Relatively warm and dry, the region is cooled by breezes from the Indian Ocean. Margaret River takes some inspiration from Bordeaux, producing top-quality Cabernet Sauvignons and Bordeaux Blends with firm structure, mouthwatering acidity, balanced alcohol and notes of herbs and spice. For white wines, refreshing blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon as well as complex, age-worthy Chardonnays are regional specialties.