Team C&J
Cabernet Sauvignon has been made every year at Vasse Felix since the winery opened 50 years ago. If you ask devotees of the brand what it’s most known for, the answer is Cabernet.
You’re probably thinking, Cabernet from Australia, how can that possibly compete with regions like Napa Valley or Bordeaux? After trying the line-up of Cabs poured by winemaker Virginia Willcock, we guarantee this winery’s offering will change your mind on that front. Of the three reds we tasted, one may have been in our top 5 red wines of the year. It was that good!
Keep reading to discover why a few bottles of Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon wines deserve space in your cellar and on your table.
Vasse Felix founder Dr. Tom Cullity had incredible foresight. While other Australian vintners were setting their sights on the Barossa Valley or Hunter Valley or pursuing the country’s most popular variety, Shiraz, Cullity had other plans.
Spending time in Europe gave Cullity a taste for the wines of Bordeaux, France, and Italy, in general. When it came time for him to select the perfect vineyard site to recreate this style of wine, the pieces fell into place when he saw not one but two articles in the local paper claiming that the greatest untapped region in Australia for grape growing was in the south-western portion of the country. These claims were not being made by a landowner trying to unload land. They came from a respected viticulturist at U.C. Davis, home to the United States’ most respected wine program, and Dr John Gladstones of the University of Western Australia.
Cullity’s site selection in Australia’s Margaret Valley couldn’t have been better for the wines he wanted to make. Nearly every vintage of wines produced by Vasse Felix has been awarded wine medals both at the local level and on the international stage. And this all started with the second vintage in 1972! The winery’s Cabernet picked up its first award in 1973.
Vasse Felix Winery has changed hands a few times over the years, which isn’t unusual as an investment increases in value. Today, the estate is owned by the Holmes à Court family. Since the family’s purchase, they have expanded the vineyards, opened an on-site restaurant, which is considered one of the best culinary experiences in Australia, and built a new state-of-the-art winery.
Paul Holmes à Court also brought on one of Australia’s best winemakers, Virginia Willcock, who led our tasting of wines at the Neptune School of Wine.
The 2019 Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon is the winery’s mid-range Cab, and it’s very good. Like all well-made wines, the palate is layered and complex. Elegant red berries and dark pitted fruit, with traces of forest floor and granite. The finish is long and pleasant. A really nice wine and an even better wine when you factor in the price.
Tasting notes for the 2019 Vasse Felix Tom Cullity Cabernet Sauvignon can be summed up in one word: wow! This wine is expressive and the pinnacle of what this grape can do. Slightly sweet black currant, black cherry, and an intriguing herbaceousness with wafts of rosemary and thyme. The palate has soft notes of oak and chocolate, and the tannins are sublime. The wine is absolutely stunning.
When winemaker Virginia Willcock took the reins at Vasse Felix in 2006, she brought with her a low-intervention style of wine focused on the terroir and individuality of each vineyard site. To help the wines sing with their unique sense of place, whole cluster fermentation and native yeasts are used.
Leaving the grapes intact produces wines with more concentrated aromas and flavors.
The 2020 Vasse Felix Filius Cabernet Sauvignon is a deep ruby-red color in the glass, and the nose is pronounced. This is still a young Cabernet, so the notes are still developing, but the initial impression features a lovely bouquet of raspberry, earthy mushrooms, hickory smoke, and savory, spicy charcuterie. The wine is light on its feet, with a mouthfeel that hangs between medium and lighter-bodied. Soft, sinewy tannins complement the flavors of berry compote, raspberry, vanilla custard, and nutmeg. Moderating notes of mushroom and dusty earth add balance.
The Filius Cabernet Sauvignon is a very pretty wine. This line of wines is easy drinking, affordable, and crafted in a style that brings out the best in the fruit. If you’re looking for a high-quality Cabernet that can stand toe-to-toe with the best regions in the world, consider the wines from Margaret Valley. Better yet, consider the wines of Vasse Felix.
Australia
Maragaret River
Cabernet Sauvignon
14.5
Virginia Willcock
62–68°F / 16–20°C
Burgundy
1 Hour
Now to 2040
Vasse Felix
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