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Vasse Felix, Margaret River’s founding wine estate, was established by Dr Thomas Brendan Cullity in 1967. Among his first plantings were Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec vines, from which he produced the estate’s first red wine. The Tom Cullity descends from these original vines and represents the purest expression of our history, place and vintage; the pinnacle of Vasse Felix.
Dr Tom Cullity
1925-2008
Dr Tom Cullity was a respected Cardiologist from Western Australia. He discovered the great table wines of Europe in the 1950s while in Britain working at the National Heart Hospital. Upon returning home, Tom set himself a mission to make fine wines in WA. He searched extensively for the perfect plot of land, taking guidance from the research of Professor Harold Olmo (1955) and Dr John Gladstones (1965) before establishing an 8 acre vineyard in Cowaramup called Vasse Felix.
Tom’s tenacious and enduring persistence led to the successful creation of Margaret River’s first commercial wines. He is remembered for his pioneering role in establishing the Margaret River Wine Region. The TOM CULLITY is a fitting tribute to this extraordinary legacy.
1 bottle limit
A year of peculiar weather where our commitment to sustainable viticulture was vital to the successful growth of quality, balanced fruit. A cool and wet spring prompted the need for an intense leaf plucking program to mitigate disease risk. Luckily, December and January were warm and dry. Canopy management was a priority throughout February and March to combat unusually warm and moist conditions. A rainfall event in early February provided a timely drink for the red varietals, followed by warm weather which was ideal for the Chardonnay ripening. A second rainfall incident in early March was followed by sunny and breezy conditions to dry off the
fruit. With judicious canopy management and a crop of naturally resilient grapes, we harvested fantastic quality fruit with little-to-no disease in our vineyards. In this mild but challenging season, the Cabernets enjoyed an extended ripening period allowing soft and fine tannins to develop.
97 Points
This vintage was a challenge, yet Tom's old vines have stood tall and delivered the fruit to make another exceptional statement of varietal combination and region. The combination is 81% cabernet and 19% malbec with no petit verdot. All wild yeast and whole berry with 100% French oak for 161/2 months, of which 68% was new and 32% 2-4 years old. The aroma is somewhat more muted than some previous vintages, but that is to be expected. It shows more of the iodine and seaweed nori character and less of the primary fruit notes. The palate is elegant and controlled, with a leafy medium body and a fine thread of chalky tannins. Has the lowest level of oak overall but one of the highest new oak contributions, which was necessary to fully express the fruit. Maintains the obvious DNA evident through the wine that now go back nine vintages. Shows a high natural acidity with a distinctive chalky, minerally oyster shell character providing definition. A wine that truly reflects the vintage but is unmistakably Tom.
100 Best Australian Wines Report 2025
I have tasted the 2021, too, and it is an entirely different take on the amazing vineyards Dr Thomas Brendan Cullity planted. Released in the middle of 2025, the 2021 has a spectacular, cool, mesmerising perfume, like a super-elegant Left Bank claret. Cherries and plums maraud the senses, leaving little room for cassis to get a look in. This late-ripening vintage has rewarded this wine with sensational resonance, underlining the immutable fact that Vasse Felix is now one of only a handful of estates in Australia to make a stellar Chardonnay and a cosmic Cabernet Sauvignon.
96 Points
Deep red-purple colour with intense aromas of mint, cedar, mulberry and blackcurrant, the palate intense and polished, finely textured and long, with a pleasant degree of firmness in the grip, and a hint of tomato bush, possibly coming from the malbec component. It begs to be cellared for a few years, and undoubtedly will live long. Big potential. (81% cabernet sauvignon, 19% malbec).