CULLEN Kevin John Chardonnay 2018

Robert Parker Score: 98 points

Reviewer: Erin Larkin — March 2025 Week 320 Mar 2025

Drink 2025–2053

The 2018 vintage in Margaret River was a freak vintage, which produced wines of the same description. Warm without being hot, rain at all the right times and never the wrong, abundant marri blossoms (which kept the hungry birds at bay) and natural acids that were preserved due to the cooler evenings. It is simple to write off the vintage as being warm, which, in comparison to the cooler vintages 2017 and 2019 on either side, it was. However, other aspects came together in 2018 to create something really special, the likes of which Margaret River had not previously seen and hasn't quite seen yet since. The 2018 Kevin John Chardonnay is detailed and nuanced, floral and yet spicy, fruity and powerful yet long and restrained through the finish. The wines were magnificent on release, and they continue, as this continues, to be slow-aging, graceful and with a long future ahead. May we all be so fortunate. 13.6% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.