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Beltramo's Wines & Spirits
1540 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA 94025

Monday-Friday: 10:00am-7:30pm
Saturday: 9:30am-7:30pm
Sunday: 10:00am-6:30pm

(650) 325-2806
(888) 710-WINE(9463)
Fax (650) 323-8450

2008 Cullen - Kevin John Chardonnay Margaret River
Kevin Cullen was a passionate believer in the quality of Margaret River as a wine region and particularly of its potential to become one of the great areas for both Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. He thus created the Cullen Wines International Chardonnay Tasting, now in its twenty third year, to enable the wines from Margaret River to be compared with the great Chardonnays produced in other prime locations elsewhere in the world. Kevin felt that the lessons learnt from these comparisons would help Cullen Wines optimise the quality of the excellent Chardonnay fruit that was grown on their vineyards. Cullen Wines have decided to recognise Kevin's pioneering contribution to the elevation of its Chardonnay to prime status by naming this wine the "Kevin John" and thereby form a formidable twin with the Diana Madeline, the Cabernet Sauvignon blend named in honour of his wife.

Cullen follows the maxim that states that great wines are made in the vineyard. Thus, prior to planting, extreme care is taken in choosing the best possible site.

The soils at Cullen are old, granite and gravely sandy loam, overlaying lateritic subsoils. The vines are dry farmed, helping to ensure maximum fruit quality, and are both pruned and harvested by hand. Low yields enable the flavours of the grapes to develop fully. The Cullen family philosophy
is to put quality before quantity. Quality starts in the vineyard where the vines are dry farmed. Cullen Estate Vineyard has "A" Grade Biodynamic Certification with the ACO Australian Certified Organic (the new organisation from the BFA Biological Farmers Association).

Biodynamics, which involves adopting a collective approach to working with the soil, the plants and the cosmos, has two underlying philosophies. The first recognises that it is important to maintain sustainable soil fertility, as is also the case with organic farming, while the second takes into account the link that exists between plant growth and the rhythms of the cosmos. The adoption of these philosophies in concert, results in the production of healthier plants and livestock.

Biodynamic agriculture uses a series of preparations, which are made from various mineral, plant and animal substances. The role of these substances is to enhance all of the bacterial and mineral processes that are involved in organic farming. Biodynamic agriculture acknowledges that, when sowing seeds, transplanting vines, applying liquid manures and spraying fruit crops, it is important to take into account astronomical rhythms and the positions of the moon, sun and planets.
95 points Wine Advocate:
:In an average year Cullen produces around 1000 cases of Chardonnay, but in 2008 they were hit by rain and hail reducing the production to 300 cases. The 2008 Kevin John Chardonnay (named "Kevin John" after her father since 2006) has complex aromas of pineapple, hay, earth, marmite, toast, green mango and a touch of smoky bacon fat. Floral aromas of jasmine and orange blossom develop after a few minutes. Possessing an alluring combo of silkiness and minerality on the medium to full bodied palate, this is a very crisp, very complex Chardonnay with a very long finish. Quite irresistible now, this one should reward the patient drinking best 2012 to 2019+. Lisa Perrotti-Brown

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Your Price: $69.99
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