Cellaring and Serving TOM CULLITY | By Estate Sommelier Evan Gill

The 2021 TOM CULLITY—the ninth release of this highly coveted Australian icon—is now available. Perhaps you’ve already secured a bottle, or even a full allocation of six? Or maybe you’re still considering it. If you have, congratulations on acquiring a piece of this world-renowned bottling. The two preceding vintages were gone within weeks of their releases in 2023 and 2024, and this vintage looks set to continue that trend. 

A question often asked here at the Estate, particularly at the Cellar Door tasting bar, is “when should I enjoy this beauty?”. The answer, in the case of the 2021 TOM CULLITY, is both simple and mildly perplexing. Simply put, there is never a bad time to open a bottle of TOM CULLITY, given its inherent elegance, finesse, and finely structured nature. The 2021 vintage also has a lifted freshness and a beautifully velvety, cashew-like texture on release. How could you not enjoy this wine right now? Now to the mildly perplexing notion, in my humble opinion, this wine is only set to improve with time in the cellar. Yet, it is a rarity for a wine to be so exquisitely composed, balanced and enjoyable at four years of age, while also possessing the potential to evolve, unfurl and transform over decades. This incredible duality is a testament to the nurturing, sustainable farming philosophy applied to our oldest and finest Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec vines, as well as the minimal-intervention approach of Chief Winemaker Virginia Willcock.

If, like me, you’ve purchased the 2021 TOM CULLITY to enjoy now and in the years to come, there are some things you can do to ensure that every time you open a bottle it looks its best. If imbibing in the next one to ten years, I recommend standing the bottle upright for a few hours prior to opening. Sediment is unlikely to accrue within ten years but it’s always better safe than sorry, standing the bottle allows gravity to pull any sediment to the base and into the ring of the punt. The sediment will then be contained within the last few millilitres of wine and can easily be left behind when pouring. If you plan to enjoy this wine in ten years or later. I recommend standing the wine for 24 hours or so, as more sediment is likely.

Decanting structured Cabernet Sauvignon is a worthy consideration at any stage of the wine’s life. For the 2021 TOM CULLITY however, I only recommend a short time in decanter, around 30 minutes or less. The nature of this wine does not necessitate extended aeration and remember, pouring from bottle to decanter, then decanter to glass, beautifully aerates and opens the wine anyway. More careful decanting will only be required when opening this wine post 2036 or thereabouts, as leaving any sediment behind in bottle will ensure the wine’s texture is silky smooth. The true definition of decanting is the separation of a wine from its spent tannins and phenols (ie: sediment) rather than aeration. 

One last tip, be sure to serve this wine in glassware with a lovely wide bowl and slightly tapering shoulder, to fully reveal its remarkably pure and vibrant aromas and flavours.