Vasse Felix, Filius Cabernet Sauvignon

This is a gorgeous red wine from a superb winery in the west of Australia that was established by a doctor whose grandparents were born in Kerry!

A superb Cabernet Sauvignon grown in one of the most recent regions to be recognised as a genuinely world-class region for growing this grape, it comes from a heritage that has some of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon plants in Australia.

Made in an early-drinking style, this is a wine that is full of attractive red berry, blackcurrant and bramble fruit flavours on account of it actually being a blend: 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5.5% Malbec and 1.5% Petit Verdot. The grapes are from a range of younger vines and some of the discarded vines of their top sites too. Made using open-top fermenters to enhance the aromatic profile of the wines, they are then aged in a range of 1 to 5 year old French oak barrels for just under a year, with the express effort to retain freshness, fruit purity and varietal typicity. But there is enough oak to get excited about it - it acts as though it is a cameo, but for us, this is a bit like Judy Dench winning the Oscar best supporting actor in Shakespeare In Love - you know it's a small part, but oh, what a role and how it is played!

Founded in 1967 by Cardiologist Tom Cullity, who's grandparents were born on neighbouring farms in Kerry, the winery is Margaret River's first commercial winery and very quickly set the bar for what has become a vibrant and seriously respected region in the world of wine. The soils, climate, aspect to the sun and the access to natural subterranean water supplies made it the perfect spot for him to live out his vision for Vasse Felix, which is the same to this day: "to make the best possible wine".