2021 Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
The cool 2021 vintage has produced an elegant, perfumed wine – one that also happens to be the 50th vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon produced by the estate, and in Margaret River. Peony and rose aromatics sit over an earthy note – you can almost hear the rustle of dried leaves. There’s a menthol lift and lush fruit here too. The tannins are relatively firm, with a soft grainy texture, washed over by the mouth-watering acidity. It’s tight, with gorgeous linear drive and a smoky edge to the long, fresh finish. Aged in 37% new French oak for 17 months, a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Malbec.
Critic scores
Average Score
Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion
More reviews and scores
Full screwcapped bottle 1,350 g. The 50th vintage of this wine! 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Malbec, picked between 24 March and 9 April. 83% was basket-pressed. Spontaneous fermentation throughout. 73% static fermenters, 17% roto fermenters, 8% open-topped fermenters and 2% concrete eggs! Aged for 17 months in French oak barriques (37% new), then two months' blending in tank. Enough percentages for you? Transparent crimson. Pretty lightweight! Hint of iodine and some cassis but definitely rather a pale shadow of some previous vintages. Is this a current fashion? To avoid any concentration? I'm afraid I'm a little disappointed. Tech notes promise ageing potential for 20 years. I'm not convinced, though it does build towards the end. And I couldn't admire winemaker Viginia Willcock more. I'll try and look at it again after 24 hours. (JR)
A round of applause is warranted as this is the 50th consecutive vintage of cabernet sauvignon from Vasse Felix and the inaugural 1972 wine, Margaret River’s first cabernet. Now, while Tom Cullity, the wine, has morphed into the flagship, this is nonetheless an important wine. A bit like Wynns Black label, it’s what brings people to the wine, the region and more. While ’21 was a difficult season – unusually humid and warm – this is pristine. Florals, mulberries, menthol, pepper, choc-mint and oak spice with cedary inputs. This is medium bodied with powdery tannins and puckering acidity; all will settle in time.
Medium-full red with the merest tint of purple; a touch of meaty/leafy/undergrowth on the nose, along with red fruits and briary notes, and lashings of tannin on the palate which augment the rich and well-integrated oak and fruit flavours. This will cellar well.
About the producer
Vasse Felix was the first winery in Margaret River, founded in 1967. Today, it is one of Western Australia’s – and the New World’s – most respected names, crafting outstanding, cool-climate Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from this remote region, south of Perth.