Cullen of Margaret river.

I spent an afternoon recently at the Cullen cellar door. Mainly eating and drinking and soaking in the goodness and comfort that radiates from the place.

The building itself is low key - wood, stone and glass. Solid and practical, rather than an architectural statement that needs to be updated as fashion dictates. The main dining room overlooks a block of sauvignon blanc grapes, that were netted - giving an almost cloud like and ethereal appearance.

I had lunch with the family. Great food - all organic or biodynamic produce, prepared simply and beautifully. The kids wanted fruit juice and soft drinks - again this is all organic, even the lemonade! You won't find any commercially available mass produced crap on sale here!

I flick through their Summer 2006 newsletter and read that they are now a carbon neutral business. They use renewable sources of electricity and to offset carbon emissions they have purchased land elsewhere in the State which is to be planted with trees.

At the cellar door there is a thick file, holding copies of the early documents detailing the development of Cullen. You can read letters from Dr. Kevin Cullen requesting vine clippings. . .

Drink the wine, visit the cellar door and it is obvious that Cullen in Margaret River is at that exemplary edge when it comes to wine making, and conscientious living.

It is now a second generation family venture, which after an early stumble started in 1971. The decision on where to start was on the basis of a 1965 journal article published by Australian soil and climate expert, Dr John Gladstones. Gladstones detailed Margaret River's potential and climatic similarities to Bordeaux. Kevin and Di Cullen's first attempt to plant vines in 1966 failed, but a subsequent, larger 7.7 hectare planting of cabernet sauvignon in 1971 survived and today contributes fruit to the flagship wine, the Diana Madeline, named in honour of the Cullen matriarch and winemaker from 1981 - 1988.

Drink the wine, open a bottle of Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot and you can't help but be impressed by the tannins. They give structure and softness at once. They are not an afterthought - they unfurl and are mouth enveloping, never hard or astringent.

Listen to Vanya Cullen, the current winemaker and custodian and you will understand. "Tannin is what drives red wine quality. . ."
"It's the most important factor: everything else hangs off it."

How do you get good tannins?

Here are at least 3 things you can do.

Start by harvesting your red grapes on the basis of tannin ripeness. When the seed and stalk changes from green to brown this seems to signal the appearance of ripe skin tannins. Picking fruit in this manner, rather than the usual attention to sugar accumulation and pH, should allow the grapes and hence the wine to have better tannins.

Secondly control the birds! Margaret River is home to many species of birds which usually feed on native Marri tree flowers. When there are not enough flowers, the birds (silvereyes, 28's, crows, rosellas) feed on the sugar rich grapes. In the early 1970's the solution to the problem was to pick the grapes early - regardless of ripeness - resulting in green harsh tannins. Part of the solution now is the use of netting to protect the grapes during critical times, and careful and costly hand sorting to remove bird pecked berries. All of this means the fruit can be left to become acceptably ripe.

Finally how your grapes face the sun makes a difference. By planting rows North-South all bunches will be bathed in sunlight for at least part of the day. The other change took place in 1993, when Cullen changed over to the Scott Henry trellis. This produces wines of better colour and again riper tannins.

Visit the cellar door, have a meal at the restaurant and you will walk away realising how strong the commitment is to organics and biodynamics. It was not always so. . .

In the late 1980's, after almost two decades of conventional viticulture, grape yields were on the decline. The decision was made to go organic. Manure and mulch was in, pesticides and herbicides out. The results were dramatic and positive. The die was cast. By 2003 Cullen Estate was certified grade A organic. A short time later Cullen took a small but additional step and started biodynamic grape production. They achieved "A" grade biodynamic certification in 2004.

There is much to admire about Cullen, the wine, the attitude and in particular their place as pioneers. Many would milk this reputation to the bank. Instead 36 years on they are still restless and not content to stand still.

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