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Tina and Brett
It’s always a treat when you attend a tasting and the winemaker is there to walk you through their line-up of wines. We recently had the pleasure of attending a presentation at the Neptune School of Wine by Vasse Felix Wines’ very own Virginia Willcock. The tasting was limited to just 30 guests, so we were really able to learn about the history of the winery, its winemaking practices, and the fascinating history behind this one-of-a-kind brand in Australia’s most unique grape growing region.
The evening included tasting through three white wines and three red wines. This post will focus on Vasse Felix’s Filius Chardonnay, a captivating, yet very reasonably priced wine, and a follow-up post will dig into the evening’s red offerings.
There is a lot to be excited about when it comes to the Australia wine scene, and we were thrilled to learn about Vasse Felix, the oldest winery in Australia’s Margaret River wine region.
A New Winery in a New Australian RegionVasse Felix is the oldest winery in Australia’s Margaret River wine region. This pioneering winery was created in 1967 by Dr. Tom Cullity, a cardiologist turned vintner who developed a love of French and Italian wine a decade earlier after spending time working in Britain. The simple European table wine intrigued Tom, and he returned to his native Australia with the idea of recreating those wines.
Dr. Cullity selected his winery site after reading an article published in 1966 by UC Davis’ Professor Harold Olmo, who claimed that Australia’s southwestern corner had a similar climate as Bordeaux and could support premium wine-making efforts.
Shortly after this report, Cullity began establishing the very first Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Malbec, and Riesling in the area at his Vasse Felix vineyard. Today, these vines are the oldest in the Margaret River.
Winemaking isn’t an easy business, and Dr. Cullity learned that firsthand when the inaugural vintage that was planned for 1971 ended in disaster after bunch-rot destroyed the entire harvest.
After that unavoidable disaster, the first wines that were released in 1972 and 1973 were met with overwhelming accolades. Both the 1972 Vasse Felix Riesling and the 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon were awarded medals at the Perth Royal Show.
Vasse Felix’s Virginia Willcock is one of the most celebrated winemakers in Australia. Virginia joined this iconic winery in 2006 and completely reimagined the winemaking process at the estate by switching to native yeast to ferment and integrating other low-intervention techniques into the winery practices.
The international wine-loving community is noticing Virginia’s talent, too. In 2014, she was nominated for Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s 2014 Winemaker of the Year award. And in 2018, she led the brand to win the ‘New World Winery of the Year’ award from Wine Enthusiast.
The vineyards are planted in free-draining Forest Grove soils full of ironstone gravel. These soils perform double duty by retaining the heat that the vines love while easily draining water from the ground. Good water drainage causes vines to push ever deeper into the earth, producing healthier grape-producing vines.
The 2021 Heytesbury Chardonnay was our favorite white wine of the evening. This bottling is impeccable. A fully developed nose and palate with notes of rich peach, crisp pear, and a steely blend of grapefruit, lime, and slate. Aging in 55% new oak gives the wine a lovely creaminess that is balanced by the bright citrus, salinity, and chalky minerality.
The winery calls its namesake Vasse Felix Chardonnay “a quintessential Margaret River Chardonnay” that is both elegant and powerful. This is a nice, mid-range Chard with a welcoming palate that is satiny and soft and just dancing with complexity. Clean, sharp lemon, zippy ginger, and slightly sweet custard and peach create a nice light sweetness.
The Margaret River region of Australia produces some of the country’s most celebrated Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay wines. But looking at where the region sits on a map, you’d never know grapes could be grown here.
In fact, one of the most fascinating facts about this wine region is its sheer isolation, not just from the rest of Australia but from the rest of the world. The nearest major city, Sydney, is a 43-hour drive east, and the remaining sides are surrounded by the ocean. The nearest country to the west is Africa, a mind-boggling 5,000 miles away, and the next closest landmass is Antarctica, which is 2,000 miles from the Margaret River.
Despite its isolation, the Margaret River region enjoys a warm, dry Mediterranean climate with a marine influence, which is perfect for grape cultivation.
Australia
Maragaret River
Chardonnay
12.5
Virginia Willcock
49–55°F / 9–12°C
Chardonnay
1 Hour
Now to 2028
Vasse Felix
The 2021 Vasse Felix Filius Chardonnay is a clear, pale white-gold in the glass. The nose is pronounced and fully developed, and there is no mistaking the intense mix of citrus peel, green apple, refreshing pear, white peach, and nectarine. The secondary notes on this Margaret River wine are incredibly delicate. Aromas of summer jasmine, grapefruit pith, and limestone are subtle but unmistakable.
The palate is creamy but acidic. Soft lemon curd and lively grapefruit lead the way, with balancing elements of lemon-lime and chalky minerality keeping all of the richer notes in check.
The Filius Chardonnay is pleasant and approachable, perfect for everyday sipping, and reasonably priced. After sampling these whites, it’s easy to see that Vasse Felix was awarded ‘New World Winery of the Year’ by Wine Enthusiast.
