Cullen Kevin John Chardonnay 2012
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Robert
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James
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Product Details
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Kevin John Chardonnay is a rich, opulent vintage that appears to be at peak. Honey, peach kernel and subtle oak notes on the nose lead into a wine that's full-bodied, lush and long. Drink it over the next few years.
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Wine Enthusiast
Although Cullen’s latest red wines haven’t always impressed, the quality of the Chardonnay seems to go from great to even greater. This is plump enough to be appealing now, yet with a strong frame of acidity to hold it together for the next 10 or more years. Toasted nuts and fresh pineapple aromas and flavors are exotic upfront, while the lemony finish is long and mouthwatering. Editors' Choice
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Wine Spectator
Bright and vivid, with layers of citrusy, spicy, minerally notes playing against pear and nectarine fruit, gliding into the long and vibrant finish. Drink now through 2025.
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James Suckling
This smells and tastes like a top Meursault with so many subtle yet intense aromas of cooked apples and cream plus hints of minerals. Full body, lots of fruit and a yogurt, dried apple and pineapple flavor. Long and lively. Biodynamically grown. Screw cap.
Other Vintages
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A founding winery of Margaret River, Cullen was established in 1971 by pioneering winemakers Kevin and Diana Cullen. In redefining the style of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon produced in the 1970s, the fledgling estate caught the attention of the nation. Since then, an unrelenting commitment to quality, integrity and sustainability has positioned Cullen as one of Australia's greatest estates - and Margaret River as one of the nation's premier wine-producing regions. The mature, biodynamically farmed vineyard produces elegant, age-worthy wines that draw world-wide critical acclaim, including what is regarded by many as the country's definitive Bordeaux blend.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
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.