Winemaker Notes
The nose shows fantastic complexity and vitality with layers of dark fruits enhanced by gorgeous, leafy nuances. The palate is elegant and silky and delivers layers of dark fruits with underlying dark chocolate and notes. There is a lovely touch of spice melting into the fruit. A wine to watch as it unfolds and develops over the next twenty to thirty years.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Diana Madeline is herbal and dry, a more dusty, spicy iteration of this Cullen vineyard than some of the vintages that surround it. In the mouth, the wine is lean and closed, leaning heavily on the asphalt/graphite/petrichor aspects of the wine rather than the fruit. I frequently find the 2015 and 2016 vintages difficult to get a read on and wonder if perhaps this is a stage that will pass, as they evolve in bottle. For now, I would personally wait a few more years before opening any of my bottles from this vintage. The blend here is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 1% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot. 12.5% alcohol.
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Wine Enthusiast
A blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 1% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot, this shows pretty floral and fennel tones amidst plums, raspberries, anise, ground pepper and iron. The palate is taut and laser focused, with fine sinewy tannins that beautifully support the fruit. It's still very young, though. Give it time to knit together. Drink 2021–2039. Cellar Selection
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Wine Spectator
Elegant, featuring black tea and sandalwood aromas to the plum and currant flavors at the core. Cigar box spiciness comes in on the aromatic finish, with firm but polished tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2034.
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.