What?
Juice 2014 Semillon, Mangan Vineyard, Cullen, Wilyabrup, Margaret River, AUS
Grape 86% Semillon, 14% Sauvignon Blanc
Farming Certified Biodynamic, Sustainable, Vegan, Carbon Neutral
Tasting Note This ripe wine features tropical and citrus notes that are prominent on the nose. The nuanced white peach, citrus and pineapple palate shows attractive florality with an underlying minerality.
Who?
Cullen’s philosophy is summed up in three simple words ‘Quality, Integrity and Sustainability’. It is one of the oldest and most awarded family wineries in Wilyabrup, in Western Australia’s famous Margaret River region. First established in 1971 by Dr Kevin and Diana Cullen and now run by their daughter Vanya, the winery has built an outstanding reputation for fine certified biodynamic wines that receive critical national and international acclaim. In 2019, celebrating 30 years at the helm, Vanya received double Winemaker of the Year honours at both the Australian Women in Wine Awards and the Halliday Wine Companion Awards. She is also Australia’s first female Master of Wine. In Australia Vanya is literally regarded as wine making royalty.
Why?
The Mangan Vineyard is part of Cullen’s original plantings in the early 1970s and adjoins the family house. These 50 year old vines produce exceptionally high quality fruit, which Vanya crafts into a Semillon of the highest order. She manages to retain the freshness of the wine whilst extracting the maximum amount of aromatic and textural elements to ensure incredibly complex wine. We love all of the wines she produces from this particular vineyard, but the 7 years of bottle age on this particular white guarantee that it has the perfect balance between primary characters and secondary complexity.
With?
We just love Semillon as a varietal to pair food with as it’s so versatile. It will happily stand up to anything from slightly meatier seafood; such as scallops, lobster, monkfish or turbo, along with white meat. The texture and flavour profile allows it to pair with a variety of different ingredients, garnishes and sauces; ranging from Asian flavours such as ginger, lemongrass and chilli, through to green vegetables and richer butter-based sauces with any combination of the aforementioned ingredients. If you can’t be bothered going through the trouble of cooking, its versatility will ensure that it marries just as well with hard cheeses and even simple mezze or antipasti.
