2012 Cullen Vanya Cabernet Sauvignon
Cullen
Couldn't load pickup availability
- Free local delivery, with no minimum order, by our own team — usually Tuesday or Wednesday. Cottesloe, Claremont, Mosman Park, Peppermint Grove, Nedlands, Subiaco, Floreat, City Beach, East Fremantle, North Fremantle, Melville and Bicton — postcodes 6008, 6009, 6010, 6011, 6012, 6014, 6015, 6156, 6157, 6158 and 6159.
- Free click and collect from 12 Station Street, Cottesloe. Orders placed before 12pm are usually ready the same day.
- Australia-wide — $20 flat rate with Australia Post, or Express from $75.
Average Critic Score: 96.33/100 based on 3 critic reviews
Vanya is the wine that reset expectations for Margaret River Cabernet. Made by Cullen from the oldest estate plantings in Wilyabrup, wild fermented and biodynamically grown, it sits at the very top of the family's range and, as Erin Larkin notes, set a new blueprint for Cabernet that could come from nowhere else. The 2012 Cullen Vanya Cabernet Sauvignon earned 99 points from James Halliday (Halliday Wine Companion), 96 points from James Suckling and 94 points from Erin Larkin (Wine Advocate).
Deeply coloured and highly fragrant, the palate takes you on a mesmerising ride with a mid-palate peak of pure, unalloyed cassis fruit, then a swish of integrated savoury tannins before rising again on the dark fruit line of the finish... - James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion (99 pts)
Now carrying some bottle age, with the structure to keep developing for years to come.
Critic Reviews
99 Points - James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion
“An extraordinary wine from the oldest ('71) estate plantings, wild fermented and matured for 19 months in French oak (47% new). Deeply coloured and highly fragrant, the palate takes you on a mesmerising ride with a mid-palate peak of pure, unalloyed cassis fruit, then a swish of integrated savoury tannins before rising again on the dark fruit line of the finish thanks in part to 3% petit verdot. 388 dozen made.”
96 Points - James Suckling
“A biodynamic cabernet with a small tweak of petit verdot (3%), this has a beautiful sense of richness, balance and harmony. The nose is swathed in ripe blackberry and dark-cherry aromas as well as blueberries. It's impeccably ripe. The palate has a silky, long and velvet-like texture that sits well with the superb mid-palate richness and blueberry flavors. Long, shimmering, tannic finish. Releases itself long and effortlessly. Drink now or keep for 15+ years.”
94 Points - Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
“The 2012 Vanya Cabernet Sauvignon was a significant wine to be released in Margaret River's modern history. Prior to the release of this wine, it and only a handful of others in the region had the highest price point for any wine, Chardonnay or Cabernet, at around $120 AUD/$75 USD. This was disproportionate to the quality on offer, but still the glass ceiling existed. Then came the release of this wine. At $350, the Vanya Cabernet Sauvignon unceremoniously smashed the glass ceiling of price and paved the way for prices to increase significantly across the region. Whether that commerciality is "on the nose" to discuss here, I am not sure, but I view it as an interesting and important part of the significance of this wine. As for the character and quality of the wine, this is another important point. There are aromas of leaf and resin, cocoa, raspberry, licorice, blueberry and graphite, and the wine is fine in structure and texture and long in length. This is a new blueprint for Cabernet, one that tastes as if it couldn't be from anywhere but here. Sealed under screw cap.”
Wine Details & Information
Vintage: 2012
Varietal / Style:Cabernet Sauvignon
Producer:Cullen
Country:Australia
Region: Margaret River
Bottle size (ml): 750ml