Cullen Diana Madeline at auction
Cullen Diana Madeline background - brief

Undoubtedly one of Australia’s wines of premier status. The Cullen Cabernet Merlot has been in production (under various labels) since 1977 and has always presented itself as an outstanding wine of longevity, balance and elegance. A mainstay has been the continuous involvement of the Cullen family and the consistent yet incremental quality of the wine year after year, all the hallmarks of one of the worlds great wineries.

Labeling issues at auction

There is often some confusion when identifying the various labels on offer. Until 2001 the wine was known as “Cullen Wines Cabernet Merlot” and in the years between 1998 and 1994 inclusively,  a reserve wine was produced. In 2001 the name was changed to “Cullen Wines, Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot” and then in 2005 it was renamed simply to “Diana Madeline”.

Auctioning valuation on the various labels

Any vintages of Cullen wines after 2001 labelled just plain Cabernet Merlot without mention of “Diana Madeline” are valued significantly less than Diana Madeline. However all Cullen Wines labeled simply “Cabernet Merlot” or “Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot” prior to the 2001 vintage are valued at “Diana Madeline” quality.

Historical auction values (Summary)

The average auction price of a 750ml bottle of Cullen Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot is around the $100 mark. A premium for well cellared, rare and excellent vintages can often boost the auction price to well over $150+

Recent auction prices paid

• 2018 Cullen Diana Madeline 750ml; hammer price of $101 each
• 2016 Cullen Diana Madeline 750ml; hammer price of $140 each
• 2010 Cullen Diana Madeline Magnum; hammer price of $360 each
• 2008 Cullen Diana Madeline Magnum; hammer price of $300 each
• 2001 Cullen Diana Madeline 750ml; hammer price of $140 each
• 2000 Cullen Diana Madeline 750ml; hammer price of $80 each
• 2005 Cullen Diana Madeline Magnum; hammer price of $370 each

These prices were curated from the leading wine auction houses in Australia. These prices do not include any commissions.

What was in wine auctions (2022)

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Around the blogs with Cullen Diana Madeline

We believe that wine blogs are a fantastic source of trusted information that can be used to guide you towards great bargains and forgotten treasures. We are, slowly, building a list of recommended wine blogs from around the world. The blogs mentioned below are just some of the ones we have found online with tasting notes of Cullen Diana Madeline and we may not have had time to review all of these blogs as yet, but will eventually.

• A review of selected Cullen (Diana Madeline) Cabernet Merlot 1984 and 1993 to 2001 by Andrew Graham
• Margaret River Magic: A vertical of Cullen Diana Madeline 1981 to 2010 by Sarah Ahmed
• 2008 Cullen Diana Madeline by Chris Plummer
• 2009 Cullen Diana Madeline by Kenneth Cheong

Historical and estimated wine auction prices for Cullen Diana Madeline

Valid December 2024

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Values have been aggregated from national secondary market data.

Notes on pricing and valuation

Low Range
Typically, price clusters form over time at market value. The low value is then calculated from the average accumulated hammer price at auction from multiple Australian wine auction houses over a 6 month period. All prices are for bottles with no damage or ullage. Well stored bottles with a documented purchase and storage history will always attract the best prices.

High Range
High prices are typically outliers or record high values achieved over a long period of time and,typically, includes only a very low sample of bottles sold, never the average and most often only a single bottle.

Last sale
This figure is not shown, as using it in isolation can produce a false sense of the true value of a bottle.

A note on auction reserves
All auction houses generally set a reserve price 10% less than the low price range. This allows for fluctuations of the market price going down as well as up.

• Sell your Cullen Diana Madeline at auction
• Bid on Cullen Diana Madeline at auction
• Wine Price Guide for current Cullen Diana Madeline

Author: Mark Wickman
wineauction@wickman.net.au  Google+ Profile