13 August 2021 |
Vasse Felix
Stellar Reviews for Vasse Felix in the 2022 Halliday Wine Companion
We are thrilled with the excellent reviews of the entire Vasse Felix collection in the 2022 Halliday Wine Companion, released today.
Particularly excited to see both the 2017 TOM CULLITY and 2019 Heytesbury Chardonnay included in the Top Rated Wines of their varietal categories at 97 points apiece.
The Margaret River Wine Region also performed exceptionally well as a whole in the 2022 Top Rated collection.
"Margaret River again reigns supreme, putting forward as many highlights as every other region put together.." (2022 Halliday Wine Companion on the Top Rated Cabernet Family category)
Of the 58 wines included in the Top Rated Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Family categories, almost half (26) were from Margaret River. While in the Chardonnay Top Rated, the total of 36 wines included no less then 15 Margaret River Chardonnays. An incredible testament to the quality of this region's core varieties, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Keep reading to see Erin Larkin's reviews of the Vasse Felix Wine Collection for the 2022 Halliday Wine Companion.
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2017 TOM CULLITY - 97 Points.
This wine is undoubtedly one reason why Margaret River has such a powerful reputation for cabernet: concentration without weight, savoury statuesque tannins and layers upon layers of exotic spice, laid on a bed of ripe fruit. Coursing through the very heart of it is a steady beat of cool-vintage saline acid, pulling it over the coals of the tongue, through to the very long finish. Remarkable. (Top Rated: Cabernet and Family)
2019 Heytesbury Chardonnay - 97 Points.
Everyone has their favourites. The Heytesbury chardonnay style is typically the wine that my heart reaches for. I love it. The 2019 iteration is minerally; laden with graphite and crushed rocks, brine, white currant, white peach and curry leaf. Heavily worked and wild, with an attractive rawness to it. Where 2018 was about fruit power, 2019 is about complex winemaking input. This still has my heart, but for different reasons to its predecessor. (Top Rated: Chardonnay + Special Value Rating)
2018 Cabernet Sauvignon - 96 Points.
Not enough can be said in favour of the 2018 vintage, producing wines just like this. Powerfully ripe and dense, with epic length of flavour. This is a structural and concentrated cabernet capable of decades of graceful evolution in the cellar. Wild raspberry, salted licorice, aniseed, pomegranate, ferrous and kelp. Saline acid. It comes in at under $50, and long may that continue, for it is one of the great-value premium wines of the region. (Special Value Rating)
2019 Chardonnay - 95 Points.
Each year this wine presents an amalgam of creamy, chewy phenolics, ripe yet nervy fruit and exotic spice. The balance of these things depends on the year. In 2019, it’s creamy and saline with white peach and fennel flower. Gorgeous stuff.
2018 Filius Cabernet Sauvignon - 94 Points.
Should we talk about 2018 again ...? It was clearly the greatest cabernet vintage in Margaret River’s history, a fact never more obvious than when on show in the region’s entry-level wines. This is the youngest brother in the family of cabernets at Vasse and has built a loyal following for its supple deliciousness and accessibility (both in price and quality). So: wild raspberry, red licorice, pomegranate, kelp, iodine, crushed pepper, spicy oak and the all important saline acid. The vintage has contributed a fruit power that gives the wine great length of flavour. (Special Value Rating)
2019 Filius Chardonnay - 92 Points.
This is the creamy, fine, pretty and textural younger brother to the other Vasse Felix chardonnays. Crushed limestone, nashi pear, sea salt, hints of juniper and a flick of sage. It can’t hide its coastal roots; there is a salivating mention of dried kelp and sun-drenched sand in there, if more descriptors were needed. Likely, not. A cool vintage has birthed a cool wine.
2019 Shiraz - 94 Points.
This is all about sunshine and shade; yin and yang. The fruit is both bright and red (vibrant and juicy), but it has shades of midnight depth and broodiness, too. It is fragrant, floral, spicy, satisfying and modern. The oak has been sensitively managed and as a result, is already integrated. Super-smart stuff.
2019 Sauvignon Blanc - 95 Points.
Creamy, rounded and supremely textural, this moves away from the spiny sauvignon blanc we are accustomed to and moves into a New World European space. Heady Margaret River florals and leafy greens (coriander, broad beans and sugar snap peas) linger in the background, making this a brilliant excuse for lunch. From the land and into the glass – what a beauty. (Special Value Rating)
2020 Classic Dry White - 93 points.
Rounded, textural, grassy and delicious. Bags of freshly picked snow peas, citrus blossom, coriander and gooseberry. Pretty as. (Special Value Rating)
2020 Classic Dry Rosé - 91 points.
Aromas of redcurrant, pomegranate and sesame are bolstered by the reflected reality on the palate. The acid that weaves through the fruit corsets it all together, making this a great value rosé. Chalky phenolics tied to the finish shape the wine. (Special Value Rating)
2019 Classic Dry Red - 93 Points.
This is delicious. Juicy, bright and vibrant, with ripe tannins and good length of flavour. All things in place, and pretty irresistible at the price. (Special Value Rating)
For more on the 2022 Halliday Wine Companion click here or peruse the Wine Collection here.