Stay in touch with the latest news and happenings at Vasse Felix, in Margaret River and on tour around the world.
Author | Caleb Dreaver, Hospitality Manager Vasse Felix
When I moved to Margaret River in 2011 the region's Cabernet Sauvignon was an "acquaintance” rather than a friend. Coming off the back of the big bold red craze in Perth, my palate couldn’t comprehend the subtlety of this beautiful, elegant wine.
My tastes quickly evolved to appreciate the love and care that Vasse Felix puts into every aspect from vine to bottle. Cabernet for me is a wine that can be fresh and exciting and very quickly gone from the glass, or conversely, still sitting there an hour later as I contemplate the many layers it has to offer. It works wonderfully with food, and a decade of dish matching in our Restaurant has cemented in my mind the incredible versatility of this wine.
A special vintage for me is the 2021, marking both Vasse Felix's 50th vintage and 10 years of my personal journey with Vasse Felix Cabernet. It’s also ridiculously delicious.
Author | Cam Jones, Head Chef Vasse Felix
The first time I had the pleasure of opening a bottle of the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon was in celebration; our team had just been awarded WA Good Food Guide's Regional Restaurant of the Year, along with a three star ranking.
I was also celebrating a personal milestone, my partner and I were celebrating our anniversary. In honour of the occasion, we hiked up to the Castle Bay whale lookout, taking with us a picnic of cheese, charcuterie, and a bottle of the 50th vintage Cabernet.
While sitting there enjoying great food and incredible wine with my favourite person, I realised I've never felt more at home than I do here in the southwest.
It was week of many great memories and a couple of nights I will never forget.
More on 50 Years of Margaret River Cabernet here.
We are thrilled to see our two Icon wines, the TOM CULLITY and Heytesbury Chardonnay, again feature in the Langtons Classification 8th Edition.
LANGTONS Classification is the most respected secondary market guide to fine and luxury Australian wines. Compiled since 1990 and released at approximately four-year intervals, the Classification comprises the most sought-after Australian fine wines based on their strong track record at auction.
The latest Classification features 100 Australian wines, 12 of which are from Margaret River, including Vasse Felix Icons, the TOM CULLITY Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec and the Heytesbury Chardonnay.
Discover the two reviews below or head to Langtons Classification for the full list.
'CLASSIFIED'
The best of Australian winemaking practices, vineyard provenance and regional voice.
Vasse Felix Tom Cullity Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec - Classified
Sourced from the original vines planted in 1967 by Doctor Tom Cullity, the Tom Cullity Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec represents a multi-generational journey of innovation based on trial and error. Based on Houghton clone cabernet sauvignon and malbec, refined vinification techniques and maturation for 18 months in French oak, this wine validates and continues the Heytesbury narrative. Vibrant blackcurrant and herb garden aromas, fine-grained tannins, sous-bois (forest floor) notes, sage, generous concentration and integrated new oak mark the style.
Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay - Classified
The glorious and expressive Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay is made up of individual sections of the Gin Gin clone. It evokes an exquisite balance between vineyards, emotional sensibility and technical brilliance. Batch vinification, bâttonage and maturation for nine months in around 60% (barely detectable) new and seasoned French oak results in a benchmark style with superb grapefruit and flinty aromatics, al dente textures and creamy complexity.
Author | Hamish Guthrie, Founding Principal, Hecker Guthrie
The Melbourne based interior designer behind Vasse Felix Estate's interior transformation shares his thoughts on the intricate process of designing a space fit to honour the Vasse Felix wine collection, in particular, the king of all grape varietals; Cabernet.
In designing the Estate spaces, we overlaid the robust architecture with an interior that balances the qualities of 'Raw' and 'Refined'. The inspiration of ‘Raw to Refined’ evolved from the idea of imbuing the interior spaces with a strong and meaningful connection to the wine collection itself.
In the same way that the elegance and the refinement of the bottled wine sits as a counterpoint to the rawness of the landscape and the component parts of the wine, through the exacting process of its makers. So to, the interiors were to be a clear expression of place (terroir) through materiality and palette, of its makers through design form and craft, culminating in a refined and heightened experience around the celebration and education of the wine at an intimate level of connection.
Whilst the wine history of Margaret River is a relatively young one, the history and lineage of its pioneering endeavours is indeed a significant one.
The Vault is an immersive space celebrating both the origins and the evolution of Vasse Felix, and the Margaret River Region, as makers of some of the world's finest wines. Through design, we set about creating a linear narrative celebrating this evolution from its modest and exploratory beginnings, through 50 years of vintage, to the confident and clear expression of the archetypal Cabernet Sauvignon that we celebrate today.
Located below the cellar door, we have created a heightened experience, playing off the dark and moody subterranean qualities of this space, to both elevate the Cabernet to ‘hero’ whilst showcasing the narrative of place, its pioneers and the vineyard itself for those wanting to delve deeper into their wine experience.
We were thrilled to celebrate the Vasse Felix Restaurant team last week as they were named Top Regional Restaurant in WA, as well as being one of three venues to receive a coveted '3 Star Rating' in the WA Good Food Guide Awards;
"The restaurant business is tough, and many would argue it can be tougher in the regions. But, visit Vasse Felix year on year and you’ll see a continuity that any restaurateur would envy, wherever they are. Service is polished yet has the appropriate amount of country charm under Caleb Dreaver, and despite a changing of the guard in the kitchen newly minted head chef Cameron Jones is flexing his creativity and talent. There can be a temptation to categorise winery restaurants as a class apart, but really Vasse Felix is simply a class act."
The WA Good Food Guide Top 100 Restaurants list is generated from over 5,000 restaurants in Western Australia. It was a joy to be recognised amongst such esteemed company, with the full review from the WAGFG judges below.
Peerless plates meet iconic wines at one of WA’s very best.
"Chef Brendan Pratt’s departure means that the reins have been handed over to Cameron Jones in the Vasse Felix kitchen, but this winery-restaurant still remains one of the state’s essential bookings. Above all, it’s because of its unbridled commitment to going all out, layering fat, acid, salt, umami and all the rest in dishes that almost radiate flavour.
Take an opener of fried flatbread topped with beef intercostal meat, strips of translucent fried lardo, tomato and anchovy XO sauce and burnt butter: a more is more moment that really works. Then there’s the half quail, deboned and stuffed with mortadella, then glazed to a cartoon-like sheen as if it were char siu – pure deliciousness in novel form.
Mains see toothfish coated in salted egg glaze brought back into check with onion dashi, spring onion and pickled enoki, while quadretti are heaped to form a sort of free-form lasagne, with onion and kombu béchamel and spinach and hazelnut pesto. All the while, the service remains pitch-perfect, charming but never stuffy, with estate wines bringing an air of luxury to match the room and the setting. Occasion dining, that’s undimmed."
A huge congratulations to all of the outstanding venues in the 2024 WA Good Food Guide Top 100. Explore the full list here.
Author | Virginia Willcock, Chief Winemaker
Paul had invited Tom Cullity to the Estate in 2007, the first time (we believe) he had been back to the vineyard since he sold Vasse Felix in 1984. Paul wanted to discuss the idea of making a wine called “TOM CULLITY” and I was fortunate enough to be invited to the lunch as the Winemaker. I mentioned that I had tried one of his early wines, the 1974 Cabernet, and I said it had a remarkable perfume of Peppy Trees, and that I thought the Cabernet from his original vines had a similar character in the vintage just gone.
He laughed and said, “Peppy Trees….that figures. When we racked the wine from the vat, we had no cleaning equipment to clean the lees out, so we grabbed a bucket of water from the Wilyabrup Brook and snapped a branch of the Peppy Tree outside the cellar and used the branch as a broom to clean the vat before we returned the wine back into the vat….no wonder it smelt like a Peppy Tree.”
TUNA, UMEBOSHI, BONITO, SHIITAKE, POTATO CRISPS
By Head Chef Cam Jones
A truly unique summer pairing designed to highlight the 2021 Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon.
INGREDIENTS
Umeboshi dressing
1 shallot finely grated
2cm piece of ginger finely grated 100ml light soy
100ml mirin
100ml rice vinegar
15ml sesame oil
40g umeboshi paste (or whole umeboshi plums finely diced)
Tuna
400g fresh, high quality tuna fillet
Bonito Emulsion
1 egg
40ml light soy
4ml sesame oil
15ml rice vinegar
20g bonito
250ml vegetable oil
Shiitake
100g shiitake mushrooms diced
40ml vegetable oil
5ml sesame oil
1 dried bay leaf
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1tsp toasted sesame seeds
salt
Potato Crisp
Your preferred potato chip, we recommend Kettle Sea Salt
METHOD
Umeboshi dressing (prep 24hrs prior)
Combine all Umeboshi dressing ingredients and store in the fridge.
Tuna
Dice Tuna, cover and leave in fridge.
Bonito Emulsion
Add egg, light soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar and bonito to blender. Blend on high for one minute. Continue blending on medium and slowly add oil until combined. Set aside.
Shiitake
Heat oil in frying pan over high heat and sauté the shiitake mushrooms until lightly golden.
Add sesame oil, sesame seeds, bay leaf and thyme and toss in the pan for three minutes.
Set aside and keep room temperature (remove thyme stalk and bay leaf before serving).
To Serve
Place 2 tbsp of bonito emulsion in the bottom of each bowl.
Divide tuna into eight portions and place on bonito emulsion.
Divide shiitake mushrooms into eight portions and place on top of tuna.
Dress tuna and shiitake with 3 tbsp of umeboshi dressing.
Cover with potato crisps.
Enjoy with the Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon.
Over the last few weeks, our Viticulture team have been hard at work planting approximately 12ha of Gingin clone Chardonnay across our Home Vineyard (Tom's Plots) and Gnarawary Vineyard (Gnarawary and Darch Plots).
As a general rule, Chardonnay vines prefer heavier soils with high clay content and good moisture retention, their weaker root system requiring the support of these dense and fertile soil sections. Chardonnay tends to thrive in a slightly cooler climate, something we are blessed with in Margaret River, with our extreme maritime influence.
We look forward to sharing more updates as these beautiful new vines progress.
By Estate Sommelier Evan Gill
At Vasse Felix you may think we talk ad nauseam about the incredible drinking window our Cabernet Sauvignon offers. But did you know that we also espouse the ageability of our Chardonnays? Estate Sommelier Evan Gill explains.
Crafted with the utmost care - hand harvested, whole-bunch pressed, transferred to barrique as full solids juice for wild fermentation, and matured on lees in barrel for several months - these complex and powerful, yet balanced and seamless Chardonnays possess all the attributes required for cellaring.
Over time, these Chardonnays develop a vibrant golden hue and a long, persistent and softer mouthfeel as crisp, mineral acidity softens and their notable length (palate persistence) extends. Powerful and fresh primary fruit notes slowly merge, evolve and fade towards baked or dried notes whilst the secondary (from the wild ferment, maturation in fine French oak, battonage and full or partial malolactic fermentation) and mild tertiary notes (from oxygen ingress over time) become more prominent.
In general, the Heytesbury Chardonnay with less than seven years in bottle will offer primary aromas as the dominating flavour profile, though in a wine as complex as this, secondary characters such as vanilla, breadcrumb, dough, pie crust and even lamb fat are often evident at this young age. After more than seven years in bottle, the primary and secondary notes are joined by more tertiary characters, often in the form of hazelnut, cashew, almond meal and even nougat.
The same general ageing characteristics can be expected of the Vasse Felix Chardonnay, though within a time frame of (give or take) four years in bottle. With its slightly plumper and richer profile and portion of Bernard clonal selections, this wine tends to develop slightly quicker than the tauter and more powerful Heytesbury. In both examples, whilst the pristine, primary grapefruit, apple and stonefruit notes of youth fade slowly into the background both wines remain supremely well balanced as they age.
Balance is key for any Chardonnay you are considering for the cellar. In my experience, any imbalance will only be highlighted more with time spent in bottle, no matter how good the storage conditions.
This brings me to my final point; wine maturation is an organic process which is very dependent on the conditions of cellaring. However, given the incredible consistency of Margaret River’s vintages, the expertise of our winemaking team and the fact our wines are sealed with screwcap, our Chardonnays offer unparalleled consistency of ageing. The only question then becomes; how patient are you?
This past weekend, we united with fellow Chardonnay devotees for edition number three of Chameleon; an intimate exploration of the world’s original vinous chameleon and its Margaret River form.
The evening began on the Estate lawn where guests were treated to Idée Fixe Premier Brut poured from Magnums, paired with scallops. Guests then journeyed to the Art Gallery where they enjoyed an incredible strings and percussion performance paying homage to the wild funk of the Vasse Felix Chardonnay style.
In the Restaurant, Head Chef Cam Jones prepared a thrilling degustation menu, paired with some incredible new and rare selections chosen by Chief Winemaker Virginia Willcock and Estate Sommelier Evan Gill, and culminating with Margaret River icon, the Heytesbury Chardonnay.
Peruse the highlights below.
Enjoy this selection off festive food and wine pairings, each designed to highlight your favourite Filius drop.