Vasse Felix 2019 Sauvignon Blanc and More Feature in Ray Jordan's Top 100 Whites of 2021

 

We are thrilled to share that the 2019 Vasse Felix Sauvignon Blanc was included in Ray Jordan's Top 100 Whites today in The West Australian.

Awarded 95 Points "Winemaker Virginia Willcock has pushed into exotic areas with this little beauty... Has a delightful savoury, primary lemony combination, with a slightly nutty, creamy texture. Finishes with a dry savouriness. Lovely wine"

The 2021 Classic Dry White was also selected in the Top 100 wines scoring 90pts, as well as Idée Fixe Premier Brut scoring 93pts, from a tasting of over 750 wines. Full reviews can be found below

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2021 Vasse Felix Classic Dry White 

90Pts.

"Always nails this style of blended white wine. It’s a 62/38 split of semillon and sauvignon blanc. Plenty of crunchy celery and racy fruit characters. The palate is tight and lively with a zesty fruit character. Best for drinking in the short term." 

 

2019 Vasse Felix Sauvignon Blanc 

95Pts.

"Winemaker Virginia Willcock has pushed into exotic areas with this little beauty. It’s mostly savvy with about 11 per cent semillon. It was wild fermented in French oak foudres. It also has some time in puncheons and barriques and there’s quite a high percentage of new oak. I suspect Virginia has had a bit of fun mucking about with this. Has a delightful savoury, primary lemony combination, with a slightly nutty, creamy texture. Finishes with a dry savouriness. Lovely wine."
 

Idée Fixe Premier Brut

93Pts.

"This is a newer one from Vasse Felix as part of a major commitment to sparkling wine from Margaret River. It is sourced from the cool-climate fruit of Karridale to the south and is one of the most promising wines released in WA in the past 12 months."

You can find the full 2021 top list here

Decanting your wines this Christmas

 

Decanting allows oxygen to mingle with the various aroma, tannin and alcohol components in a wine, bringing to life these complex elements that have been ‘trapped’ in the bottle. All things need oxygen to breathe and wines with layers of flavour, complex structural elements and real depth are no different. 

Aged wines (10 years and older) in particular tend to accumulate sediment over time. Whilst it’s an important piece of a good aged wine, sediment is not something you want in your glass when enjoying a cellar selection. Here’s a guide to help you to best enjoy your favourite wine, young or old, when you next choose.

Head Chef Brendan Pratt Featured in The Australian

Vasse Felix Head Chef, Brendan Pratt spoke to John Lethlean on the sustainable practices of Australia's leading restaurants, and how using 'waste' from one dish can be used to enhance another, adding layers of intrigue and unexpected dimensions of flavour and texture.

Photo Credit - Sarah Hewer, The Australian

"Being in a remote location, where suppliers need to be managed carefully, Brendan Pratt in Margaret River takes some fairly innovative ideas to the concept of utilising as much of his raw produce as possible.

In the Vasse Felix kitchen, Pratt takes whole eels, for example, using the flesh to make a sauce and the skin, bones and head to make a garum, or fish sauce, which he uses to season dashi.

With whole Patagonian Toothfish, caught in the sub-Antarctic by Perth seafood company Austral, Pratt dry-ages, and then smokes the frames before breaking them down to cook with Japanese ingredients to make a tare, or dipping sauce. Beef fat, rather than being discarded, is used to make various butters and sauces.

“Quite often this process opens our minds up to new ideas of luxury,” Pratt says, “as well as adding more incredible flavours and textural elements to our dishes.

“Often the so-called ‘waste’ from preparation of one dish feeds into another.”

Restaurant customers, he says, need to ask more questions about where and how what they are ­eating has been sourced, prepared and treated.

“Knowledge is power,” he says. “And if more customers demanded better and were understanding of the costs to a business to exercise an environmental conscience, we might be able to effect change a lot faster.” 

Full article is available HERE

 

2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Blending and Grading

 

Earlier this week our Winery team, Charline Sautour and Tim Fearon, led by Chief Winemaker Virginia Wilcock, began making blending and grading decisions for our 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon.

An incredibly important time where each and every barrel will be tasted to ensure that select parcels possess the elegance and generosity to make it into our premier wine.

From the time we harvest, right through to maturation and fermentation each little parcel of fruit is kept separate to enable traceability back to each vineyard block.

Head Chef Brendan Pratt's Seaweed Béarnaise Sauce

 

“A bright, rich and deep enhancement for fatty fish (such as Patagonian Toothfish, Swordfish, or Dhufish), lobster or poultry dishes. The subtle kombu and anchovy nuances add beautiful complexities and umami, for the perfect Chardonnay pairing.”

INGREDIENTS

Reduction
350ml white wine vinegar 
150g sliced shallot 
5g black peppercorns 

Béarnaise Sauce
30ml vinegar reduction 
10ml lemon juice 
3x egg yolks 
500g clarified butter (slightly warmed Ghee butter)
20g anchovy extract 
15g kombu extract 
25g seaweed paste 
NB. Though we make our own extracts at Vasse Felix, you can find quality alternatives at The Grocer online or any good Asian grocer.

METHOD

Vinegar Reduction

Place vinegar, shallots, and peppercorns in a saucepan, bring to the boil, and then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until reduced by two-thirds (this should take two to three minutes). Strain through a fine sieve and set aside to cool, discarding the strained solids.

NB. I like to make a little extra so it’s ready for the next time you want to make the sauce. The reduction will keep in a jar for three to four weeks in the fridge.

Béarnaise Sauce 

Combine the egg yolks and reduction in a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan of simmering water (water shouldn’t be touching the bowl).

Whisk the mixture, rotating bowl occasionally, until pale and thick (approximately two minutes), then remove from the heat and place on a wet tea towel to hold it steady. 

Add the clarified butter in a thin steady stream while whisking continuously until the butter is incorporated and the mixture is slightly thickened. 

Add in the anchovy extract, kombu extract and seaweed paste, whisk to combine and set aside in a warm location. This sauce can be made two to three hours in advance, as long as it can be stored in an airtight container, at around 35-40 degrees. If the sauce cools, it cannot be reheated as it will split.

Serve 

Serve with your favourite white flesh fish or a barbequed Western Rock Lobster for a luxurious festive pairing!
Best enjoyed with the 2020 Vasse Felix Chardonnay.

 

Vasse Felix Awarded Top Restaurant Gong at 2021 WA Good Food Guide Awards

We were thrilled with the results announced at the 2021 WA Good Food Guide Awards (WAGFG) last night. A very well deserved congratulations to the Vasse Felix Restaurant team and Head Chef Brendan Pratt, who were awarded Restaurant of the Year and Regional Chef of the Year respectively. The WA Good Food Guide Top 100 Restaurants list is generated from over 5,000 restaurants in Western Australia. 

When accepting the award, Restaurant Manager Caleb Dreaver acknowledged the Estate's established experience in the hospitality industry; “The Vasse Felix restaurant is over 30 years old and has been built by the hard work, persistence and commitment to excellence of many hands before ours. Thank you to all those that came before us. Thank you to our team, a group of absolute professionals and more importantly, great people. Thank you to our owners, the Holmes à Court family, for entrusting us with this legacy and continuing to invest in it. We are blessed to have such an amazing playground in which we get to do what we love. Thank you to the WAGFG. To Georgia and her team, you have breathed new life into the awards and we, the industry are grateful. Thank you to WA hospitality – what a thriving and supportive community it is.”

On Vasse Felix winning this prestigious award, the WAGFG judges said;
“There are periods in a restaurant’s lifetime where every element comes together to create an experience for the diner that is a synthesis of everything that is right and good about eating out. If 2021 is anything to go by, Vasse Felix is smack bang in the middle of it. Is it the warm service? The way the estate wines – from entry level, to rare and exclusive, to curiosities – are each given their due? The elegance and airiness of the room? 

The answer, surely, is all of the above. Then there’s the food, which has found real focus and clarity under Brendan Pratt, a chef whose always had the skills, but who’s ideas now seem clearer, more refined. He’ll draw on the state’s best produce – much of it from Margaret River – then take it in new and unexpected directions. It’s a bold chef who’ll pair Rose Mallee beef with tallow-enriched milk, taramasalata and radicchio, for example, or use toothfish twice on a menu. But Pratt not only makes it work, he does it in ways that reframe the conversation. A shining light.”

A huge congratulations to all of the outstanding venues in the 2021 WA Good Food Guide Top 100. Explore the full list here.

Chameleon | A wild and imaginative anthology of Margaret River Chardonnay

This past weekend, we united with fellow Chardonnay devotees for an intimate exploration of the world’s original vinous chameleon and its Margaret River form. 

Featuring some of the most revered Heytesbury vintages from our precious museum collection, in addition to pre-release showings of our new 2020 Chardonnay releases - this was a culinary quest not to be missed.

Peruse the highlights below.

 

Chardonnay, the Chameleon

YOUR FESTIVE GUIDE TO THE ULTIMATE CHAMELEON VARIETAL

Chardonnay, the world’s original vinous chameleon, takes its cues from site and winemaker more than any other grape varietal, reflecting the environment in which it is grown and the intricate winemaking techniques used to create a completely unique house style. As such, it is those who grow and craft it who truly know it best. 

We’ve asked our talented team of Viticulturists and Winemakers to share their go-to (and uncoventional) Chardonnay pairings and experiences to help you make the most of your favourite ‘chameleon’ varietal this festive season.
 

Evan Gill
Estate Sommelier 
Versatile, consistent, elegant, powerful, complex and balanced, Chardonnay is, quite simply, a moreish wine that can be enjoyed with an infinite choice of pairings. Though traditional, don’t overlook the perennial favourite of home cooked roast chicken, cauliflower, potatoes and white sauce with Chardonnay that has a little bottle age (3+ years). For a more simple yet equally delicious pairing, quality salt and vinegar chips offer a unique match. Chardonnay helps to soften the palate, while the multitude of flavours provide interesting contrasting (stonefruit) and complementary (saline) notes.
 

Bart Molony  
Chief Viticulturist 
I freely admit that I suffer from a severe case of cellar palate. I love the wines we make here at Vasse Felix and our Chardonnay is no exception. With its freshness, flavour, aroma, class and consistency, it revitalises the palate and when paired with a sunset, is pretty hard to beat. I love aromatic curries, and one that I particularly like to enjoy with the Vasse Felix Chardonnay is a Kashmiri Chicken. I really enjoy sipping and savouring this wine while laboring over mortar and pestle,  grinding the spices for the Garam Masala. Absolute sensory overload! 
 

Tim Fearon 
Cellar Manager
The diversity in character of our Chardonnay fruit resources is unparalleled amongst the varieties we work with, making it a true chameleon. With its richness and precision, boldness and restraint, Chardonnay is so versatile in pairing with food and approachable at all stages of its life. I particularly enjoy pouring the Vasse Felix Chardonnay after a brisk sunset swim at Kilcarnup Beach. For those looking to try something a little different, I highly recommend pairing our Filius Chardonnay with Dim Sum.
 

Charline Sautour 
Winemaker 
I am a big fan of pairing Chardonnay with cheese - the stinkier the better in my opinion! The dirty and pungent Époisses cheese is a perfect match, though if you’re looking for a little more polish, Gruyère also works well. At dinner parties, I like to serve Chardonnay with cheese after the main course; the lovely acidity and palate tension of the wine encourages guests to savour and discuss. Most recently, I enjoyed the Vasse Felix Chardonnay with a Saffron Cheesecake - a suprisingly delicious pairing. The options really are endless.

 

Discover the 2021 Chardonnay release here.

Introducing Vasse Felix Syrah

An exciting new tempo for Margaret River's alternative red; to find out more read on or watch the video below.

Always challenging the conventions of regional style, our winemakers have been on a mission to invigorate Margaret River Shiraz over the last decade with their progressive ‘Syrah Project’. Through ongoing small-batch winemaking trials of wild yeast fermentation, small format carbonic-maceration and a reduction of oak, they unearthed wine parcels of enticing vivacity, restraint and depth. Bright with pepper, spice and vibrant blue fruit; surprisingly cool climate and endlessly captivating, many would say, more ‘Syrah’ than ‘Shiraz.’

In recent vintages, the Premier Shiraz style began getting ‘cooler’ and fruit resourcing started heading that way too. 2020 was a revelation, where the Shiraz grapes selected came primarily from Vasse Felix’s Boodjidup Vineyard, south of Margaret River, breaking away from a Wilyabrup heritage. In the south, ripening is gentle and fruit is finessed, for a sophisticated, tangy and electric expression. Thus, this vintage, Vasse Felix Shiraz is retitled, ‘Syrah’. Syrah represents what we believe to be the future of Margaret River’s ‘alternative’ red varietal, and of our Premier expresson at Vasse Felix. At this same time, we introduce Filius Shiraz, a contemporary, delectable ‘son of’ this house style, with the immanent drinkability of Filius label.

More information and tasting notes for the 2020 Syrah are available here.

New Gallery Exhibition | Dwelling Rituals

Introducing our new gallery exhibition from the Janet Holmes à Court Collection; Dwelling Rituals.

Dwelling Rituals focuses on home and the significance of the everyday. Small gestures, repeated actions, daily habits, the materials and objects of home each hold meanings significant to our being in the world.

Artists explore the repetitiveness of housework for the sake of harmony; meditate on the dwelling rituals and traditions of past times; on the connection between home and the natural environment and how the home is affected by threats to its environment. Dwelling Rituals presents artworks from artists across the Southwest, Wheatbelt and Great Southern regions of Western Australia. 

Dwelling Rituals is showing in the gallery from 26 September 2021 - 30 January 2022