Nose
A very pointed and pristine perfume with immense
complexity. Lively fruit from this vintage is preserved precisely. The
oak and savoury complexity is intricately interwoven yet the
immense power of the fruit, while delicate, is brimming with
character. Notes of red currant, cranberry jam and raspberry pips
give way to agar, gravel, a hint of peppermint tree, mushroom and
bark.
Palate
The palate is vibrant with mouth-watering cranberry
freshness and while light, is juicy, precise and balanced with
remarkable fine grained tannins. Long cassis and cherry pip
flavoured tannins create a dry and fine finish. A significant Cabernet
of uniquely delicate proportions.
Growing Conditions
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 pinnacle of Vasse Felix.Another text-book vintage in Margaret River with consistent, almost
rhythmic temperature patterns throughout the ripening season,
resulting in excellent balance and physiological ripeness of fruit.
Reasonable yields were obtained despite a handful of blocks being
exposed to heavy storms in spring reducing their cropping
potential, but overall quality is excellent.
Winemaking
Slightly lower yields in our old Malbec blocks, combined with an
incredibly precise Cabernet vintage has seen the portion of Malbec
reduced slightly this year. All blocks were destemmed only, without
crushing and then allowed to ferment naturally. The Petit Verdot, a
small section of Malbec and small portion of Cabernet (making up
24%) were open fermented, hand plunged and pressed dry. The
remaining 76% of the Cabernet and Malbec was static-fermented,
gently pumped over through a splash tub and then left on skins for
up to 34 days; allowing the wine to stabilise and become
structurally sound in such a brilliant year for tannin ripeness. The
small sections were basket pressed to fine French oak and matured
for 18 months with minimal racking.
Appearance
Light maroon with a purple tinge.
