Notes from tonight's tasting at Ralph's.
We tasted these wines the first time when they arrived in April last year. At that time, I thought the reds were very good but the Chardonnay was unimpressive. I thought with a few monhs aging it would be good to revisit the wines.
Cullen Chardonnay 2004 - Pale, greenish cast. Smoky nose. Generally soft with a very long and spicy finish. Good fruit here. Melon and a bit of citrus. Great balance and deft use of oak. 14% alcohol but you don't notice that at all. Great for drinking now. Showing much better than last year. Lovely wine.
Cullen Mangan 2004 - Malbec and Petit Verdot. Very deep color. Dryish, rich. Noticeable oak but not a problem. Good acidity on the long finish keeps this refreshing. Smoky, leathery, tobacco. Very smooth tannins. Definitely needs a grilled steak. Very good. Not much different from my previous notes. Already good to drink.
Cullen Diana Madeline 2003 - Bordeaux blend. Deep color. Slightly hot. Just starting to be approachable. Restrained compared to the Mangan but has the same general smoky, leathery profile. Perhaps a bit more fruit is evident here and it's a bit rounder. Soft. Very long finish. Again, not much development from the bottle tried last year. Maybe needs a bit more age but is already a pleasure to drink now.
While the reds were very good. I thought the Chardonnay was outstanding.