VASSE FELIX | Cabernet Sauvignon | 2018
cabernet sauvignon | petit verdot | malbec

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Established in 1967 by regional pioneer Dr Tom Cullity, Vasse Felix is Margaret River’s founding wine estate. Recognized as one of the great wine regions of the world, Margaret River enjoys a truly unique environment and climate which makes it a paradise for grape growing, where vines are planted on well drained, gravely-loam soils, thus capable to deliver wines of velvety elegance, vibrancy of fruit and a great ageing potential.

The wine that we are going to review today hardly requires any introduction, as this is one of the most famous wine labels from the lands of Down Under – Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 by Vasse Felix. Cabernet Sauvignon is grown all over the world in a wide range of climates and regions and it can produce wines that are very high in tannins and acidity, that can mature and develop for many years in the bottle. Cabernet Sauvignon is also a late ripening grape variety, which means that it is best suited for warm climates, where it is capable to produce wines that can reach into realms of perfection, where they are rarely followed. This is the winemaker’s ‘premier‘ cabernet sauvignon wine, made every year since 1972. Although technically it is a blend of cabernet sauvignon (90%), petit verdot (8%) and malbec (2%) grape varieties, this wine represents the archetypal Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon. Made of grapes sourced from the Wilyabrup sub-region (the coastal, mid northern part of Margaret River), where vines are planted on well drained, gravely-loam soils, this wine ticks all the hallmarks of the finest Margaret River cabernets. Each variety has been individually fermented using only indigenous yeasts, with extended maceration periods of up to 40 days and then blended. Traditionally, cabernet sauvignon forms the wine’s main body and structure, petit verdot add more floral notes, tannin extract and enhances the wine’s color depth, whereas a small portion of malbec offers a leaner mid-palate and a more refined finish. The final blend has been aged for 18 months in french oak barriques, from which 44% new oak, at the first use. That said and without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
colour: deep and opaque ruby color
clarity: hazy ruby shades on the rim

//Olfactory
intensity: pronounced & expressive
fruit profile: black fruits
__black fruits: black cherry | black plum | blackcurrant | blackberry | aronia berry
fruit character: ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: herbs | spice | oak | earth | other
__herbs: bay leaf | mint | rosemary
__spice: peppercorn | cloves | nutmeg | tonka seeds
__oak: roasted oakwood | tobacco | cigar box | charred wood | hints of liquorice
__earth: graphite | charcoal | granite | loam | gravel
__other: new leather | subtle vanilla hints
primary layer: fruit

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: high
__grip: seedy
balance: good
__dominant: acidity
body: round | full body

//Taste
fruit profile: black fruits
fruit character: ripe
non fruit: spice & oak
finish: long
aftertaste: seedy-crisp

//Scoring
VASSE FELIX | Cabernet Sauvignon | 2018
variety: cabernet sauvignon | petit verdot | malbec
country: Australia | Western Australia
region: Margaret River | Wilyabrup
rating: 94.9

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | drink now or age for 3 to 5 years
verdict: great | a legendary wine

//Prediction
predicted RP rating: 91

//RP Rating
actual RP rating: ?

//All Ratings
The critics’ rating distribution: 94.5
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This is definitely a great wine of Australia and, with a total of 94.9 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is a textbook cabernet sauvignon wine and definitely one of the best we have tasted so far: seedy, crisp and ample, with an expressive nose and a velvety palate. The wine is still in its development phase, therefore we would recommend to give it at least 2 more years of bottle ageing, as the potential is clearly there, but make sure to not overdo it, as it is always better to drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late. On the nose the wine displays ripe black fruits in the foreground, supported by a very appealing, spicy-oaky background and a subtle earthy layer in between the two. On the palate the wine delivers exuberant acidity, seedy but ripe tannins and a touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which leads to a pleasantly seedy and crisp aftertaste. All in all this is a rich, round and elegant cabernet sauvignon wine, with an amazing structure and a very harmonious flavour profile – a quite complex wine that is mixing power with finesse. We believe this wine will pair lovely with delicate meats, rich in natural flavour, like for example a black angus filet mignon or a peppercorn filet mignon steak. Enjoy!

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© The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. Just remember that there are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.