Vasse Felix Filius Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

90.4% Cabernet, 9.6% Malbec. 11 months in 1- 5 year old French oak barriques. Perfumed dried florals and plenty of freshness on the nose. There’s some finely crushed graphite, a little tar, dried herbs, liquorice root, and crunchy black plum kissed with a sea breeze. 2022 was a warm year, and the generosity of fruit on the palate envelops the senses like a bear hug. Plush red and black fruits, some long-grained oak in the background, and a delicate bloody note wrapped around a juicy and concentrated core of fruit. Fruit tannins are ripe and plush, the acid has the energy to skip along, and the finish lingers just long enough to reach for another sip. The terms “easy drinking” and “youthful Cabernet” are not regularly used in the same sentence, but they are here.