Cullen Wines Elvie Clarke 2024 receives 94 points from Decanter correspondent

The wine and its 94-point rating

Cullen Wines Elvie Clarke 2024 comes from Wilyabrup in Margaret River, Western Australia. Its blend is 58% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Semillon and 7% Verdelho, with 13.5% alcohol. The availability listing gives a price of $35 (2025) from Cullen Wines and £25 from Noble Grape, Vinvm and Wine Direct. Decanter’s Margaret River correspondent Cassandra Charlick rated the vintage 94 points.¹

Cullen Wines has held biodynamic certification since 2008. The grapes were picked by hand on fruit and flower days from the 22 ha Mangan vineyard during the hottest, driest and earliest vintage on record. The wine was made by 2nd-generation winemaker Vanya Cullen and named in honour of her paternal grandmother, Elvie Alice Clarke, a talented pianist and storyteller who strongly supported the suffragette movement.¹

Taela’s selection

Taela, 23, lives in Fremantle with her boyfriend and 4 friends. She works as a bartender at Little Creatures, a craft brewery where beer is made on site and visitors can take tours and tastings. She also sometimes serves cocktails upstairs at The Loft and wants to learn more about why she enjoys particular wines.¹

Her usual choice is a crisp, lively and fruity white, particularly New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. She prefers fresh, approachable wines and generally avoids heavy or strongly oaked styles.¹

For the Gen Z Wine Challenge, Taela chose the Cullen wine because Semillon–Sauvignon Blanc is a classic Margaret River blend that she had rarely tried. She noted that the region is particularly associated with premium Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. A wine specialist at her local Dan Murphy’s recommended the bottle, for which she paid $34.99.¹

Tasting impressions

Taela opened the wine with 2 colleagues on her balcony at sunset during a warm evening.¹

She found the wine pale, with green tinges. Its aroma was led by citrus, especially lemon, alongside passionfruit.¹

On the palate, she first noticed a very crisp, refreshing lemon character, followed by green apple, pear and a smaller passionfruit note. The fruitiness did not translate into sweetness. Although she had expected pronounced acidity, she found the wine easy to drink, without the sharp or sour finish she sometimes encounters in white wines.¹

Although the blend was outside her normal routine, Taela and her friends enjoyed it, and she said she would buy it again. She described it as light, fresh and interesting, considered it good value and said it encouraged her to explore more Margaret River Semillon–Sauvignon Blanc blends beyond her usual Sauvignon Blanc.¹

Decanter seeks more young contributors

Decanter is inviting people aged 18–29 to apply for the Gen Z Wine Challenge by emailing [email protected] with an introduction and an explanation of why they should be selected; it is particularly interested in applicants living outside the UK. The publication is also launching Under 30s Wine Trade Sips for people in the same age group who work in wine-related bars, restaurants, cellars or retail and want to discuss a bottle they love.¹