The Premier Cabernet Sauvignon of Vasse Felix. This wine’s distinctive style possesses all the hallmarks of the finest Margaret River Cabernet; elegance, generosity and ageability. Made every year since 1972, it is Margaret River’s archetypal Cabernet Sauvignon.
1 bottle limit
A cool, high-humidity start to vintage meant we benefited greatly from precise canopy management to mitigate disease pressure and optimise sun exposure for the fruit. The success of this program enabled us to harvest ripe, clean fruit with slightly lower alcohol and great natural acidity. Mild conditions allowed for extended ripening, creating beautiful aromatics and fine ripe tannins in our reds. Marri Blossom was non-existent throughout the region in 2019, resulting in the largest netting program ever seen at Vasse Felix to protect the fruit from bird damage. Overall, a labour intensive vintage that resulted in beautiful quality fruit.
95 Points
Medium-deep crimson. Classical cassis, dark chocolate, roasted chestnut aromas. Inky-textured wine with beautiful blackcurrant, mocha, cedar flavours and fine grainy/ al dente tannins. Finishes firm and minerally. Medium-powered wine with very good fruit complexity, vigour and structure.
93+ Points
Vasse Felix is a savory house—it’s important to understand in order to fully understand the wines, I believe. They are driven by savory, spicy tannin (reds) and chalky, structuring extract (whites). In this cool 2019 vintage, the 2019Cabernet Sauvignon is aromatically detailed, with cassis, mulberry, brine, nori, sun-dried kelp, iodine and five spice. On the palate, while the wine is structured and firm, no tannin can stop the mellifluous flow of fruit through the mouth. An impressive pool of flavor through the finish tells us about the potential this wine has for graceful aging in the cellar. Drink it at any time, but cellar it with confidence for 15 years plus.
94 Points
The ‘19 vintage was cool, largely responsible for a tranche of very precise, perfumed cabernet sauvignons. Aniseed, kelp, bitter chocolate, blackberry and all things midnight. Rich and savoury -the fruit is bolstered by firm graphite tannins. The length of flavour, coupled with Willcock’s proven pedigree in this field, tell us what we want to know about longevity: always back bluechip. The fruit is encased in tannin right now: if you plan to drink in the short term, you must decant. This will go far.
93 Points
This classically style 2019 Bordeaux blend brings together largely Cabernet Sauvignon with Malbec and Petit Verdot plus a splash of Cabernet Franc. It’s currentlyreserved and understated with a beautiful blend of blackcurrant and leathery aromas with a bright lift of violets and superbly integrated oak. A punchy, energetic palate follows with intense mulberry, blackcurrant and cedar flavours with a firm base of tannins. A long, strong finish suggests that time will only make it better.”