The 2023 season in Margaret River was potentially spectacular, particularly for the whites. I say "potentially," because when it comes to premium wine release, Cullen is always the first producer off the mark. This is the first finished 2023 premium Chardonnay I have tasted from the region, and frankly, I like what I see. The season— in the context of the white varieties—was mild and dry, and by all accounts, it produced fruit that was poised, detailed and precise in its expression. So, this 2023 Kevin John Chardonnay is richer and more intense than I expected from such a quiet season, but it does so with brilliant balance and harmony. You get crushed, roasted and salted cashew, green pistachio, sweet Pink Lady apples, fresh picked curry leaf, elderflower, tree-ripened nectarine, scratched pink grapefruit, saltbush and sun dried kelp. It's got all the yellow, exotic dried spice too: tamarind, saffron and a hint of turmeric. The wine is imbued with piercing acidic drive; it races languidly over the palate and soars through to a long finish. This is a pretty epic wine, and to think that it is perhaps still knitting itself together, just imagine how good it will be in five years from now. Exciting! 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.