Wine

Vasse Felix Dream Vertical: Tasting An Original Margaret River Influencer

The current release of Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon marks 50 uninterrupted vintages. It's a momentous occasion that invites us to celebrate not just a milestone, but the very genesis of one of the world's most exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon-producing regions.

Origin stories that succeed and thrive are wonderful because they take you back in time and invite the contemplation of motivation, risk, and the role that heart can play over the head in the soup of decision making. Dr Tom Cullity's decision to plant Margaret River's first commercial vineyard, despite reports suggesting he shouldn't, is one such story that, as time passes, only gets better and better.

By all accounts Cullity, a respected cardiologist from Perth, was an intelligent and obsessive gent with a slight eccentric streak. His decision to plant in Margaret River was driven by a love of great European wines and guided by a Dr John Gladstones report that suggested, in directopposition to all previous reports, that despite high rainfall Margaret River's well drained soils would be good for viticulture.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF MARGARET RIVER WINE

Gum lined entrance where Margaret River wine began, Vasse felix.

Cellar Door signage to the Vasse Felix Museum.

Cullity searched for a site and despite the risk, no experience as a vigneron, and little to no regional infrastructure, his intuition won out. He planted Cabernet Sauvignon and a few Malbec vines, calling the plot "Vasse Felix". That was in 1967, and 50-plus years on it's clear that Cullity's intuition radar was in solid working order.

That vineyard still stands today as Vasse's Felix's "Home Block", on which sits its stylish cellar door and winery. The planting of these wines was the impetus for others to follow and soon Dr Bill Pannel planted Moss Wood across the road, Dr Kevin Cullen and Diana Cullen planted Cullen next door, David Hohnen and his brothers Mark and Giles established Cape Mentelle down the highway, and eventually Woodlands, Sandalford and Leeuwin Estate followed suit.

Together these names and the wines they made form the nucleus around which the Margaret River wine story grew and thrived. And, out of all the doctors who helped established this story, it's paradoxical that a man who specialised in and fixed hearts was using his to guide him to make the most formative and influential decision in its history, as well as forever wedding it to the identity of the region. 

A glorious flight of Vasse Felix Cabernet.

The Wines of The Tasting

Vasse Felix Premier Cabernet Sauvignon

2012 / 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019 / 2020 / 2021

Vasse Felix Tom Cullity Cabernet Malbec

2016 / 2020

Vasse Felix Premier Chardonnay

2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019 / 2020 / 2021 / 2022

Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay

2018 / 2022

VIRGINIA WILLCOCK AND THE EVOLUTION OF VASSE FELIX

Vasse Felix Chief Winemaker (and force of nature) Virginia Willcock.

Willcock explaining the makeup of Vasse Felix Vineyards.

Comparatively, 50 years in wine is not a lot of time, especially when starting from scratch. Vasse Felix - and along with it Margaret River Cabernet and Chardonnay - has ascended to a level of global recognition that rivals, and in some instances surpasses, that of much older wine regions in Australia and abroad.

Unlike centuries-old wineries and vineyards across the country, Vasse Felix has blossomed into one of the most revered names in Australian wine, with critics like James Halliday anointing Vasse Cabernet as "one of the greatest in Australia" Chief Winemaker Virginia Willcock, who joined Vasse Felix in 2006, along with the owner Paul Holmes à Court, have played a significant role in shaping the focus and style of Vasse Felix's wines, enabling the estate's reputation, particularly in the last 10 years or so, to flourish.

"The 1990s and 2000s are when Vasse Felix really took off, and it's where the styles for wines that defined us back then was formed," explains Willcock. "Australia was in the middle of a discovery period with technologies, winemaking tricks, oak, and tannin, and when I joined there were some high quality wines, but it was conservative."

The wines were bigger and sales were great, but they weren't necessarily the wines that the team wanted to drink. "I was interested in making wines that were complex, interesting and enduring, and with the support and blessing of Paul we started looking for more vineyard expression and backing off," Willcock says. "Paul was going nuts on vineyard development and I was going nuts on discovering the best attributes that each vineyard had, not interfering with them too much and naturally processing them and finding the best of what we had."

VASSE FELIX - MASTERCLASS CABERNETS

Senior Winemaker James Revie, Chief Winemaker Virginia Willcock, international wine show judge Dave Mavor, and Selector's Paul Diamond.

To explore this evolution Willcock, Senior Wine Maker James Revie, Dave Mavor (Winemaker, International Wine Show Judge and Senior Product Manager for Wine Selectors), as well as my lucky self, were treated to two 10-year verticals of Vasse Felix Premier Cabernet and Vasse Felix Premier Chardonnay, as well as two treat brackets of icon wines: Tom Cullity Cabernet Malbec and Heytesbury Chardonnay.

From the outset of the Cabernet bracket it was clear that weight, shape and overall house style for Vasse Felix Cabernet was set and clearly defined as medium-bodied, elegant and restrained. What distinguishes these wines is how finely boned and delicate they are: the complexity and fruit weight that each carry is directly inverse to the fine nature of its structural components - frame, shape and mouthfeel.

Consistency is an another part that adds class and uniformity to this picture with a gradual progression and refinement showing, without sacrificing the natural fruit characters dictated by each respective vintage. Overall, the effect is a higher degree of drinkability, with an ethereal mouthfeel that clarifies each fruit expression. "We're quite self-aware of our house style,"

Willcock explains at the tasting. "But it's a naturally driven thing, with the evolution being more about vineyard development and improvement than winemaking."

Glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon goodness.

Senior Winemaker James Revie making his way through the tasting.

The standouts were the 2019 for its celestial length and layers of sweet and smokey red and black cherries. Revie loved the 2018 for its balance of savoury and sour black fruits, Mavor was taken by the delicate restraint and regal mouthfeel, and Willcock found a soft spot for the 2014and the attractive nature of its floral aromatics and elegant restraint across the palate.

Thank you for reading this feature preview - discover the full scope of Vasse Felix's extraordinary 50-year journey and our full Dream Vertical tasting in the Sep/Oct edition of Selector, available online at PressReader and Magzter, or at selected newsagents. Or, subscribe today to unlock a wealth of tastings, recipes and special offers each issue!