Vasse Felix Tom Cullity Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec 2017

The Tom Cullity is a little slice of Margaret River history. Made with fruit from Margaret River’s first vineyard, 50 years after it was planted from cuttings first bought to Western Australia over 150 years ago, it’s a fitting tribute to the winery’s founder Tom Cullity.

The wine is a blend of cabernet sauvignon and malbec, not unknown, but certainly a little unusual. In warmer years it gives lovely richness, texture and density plus some attractive savoury complexity, although 2017 was a little challenging for malbec, even for the old vines.

Deeply coloured right now, it almost explodes with dark fruit aromas plus violets and a faint leafiness – classy cool climate cabernet writ large. Aromatically it is fleshier and more ready to enjoy young than usual, which is not such a bad thing. Pure cassis with flashes of inky malbec flavours are then supported by chewy, firmish tannins – thank you 2017. But there is also delicious purity of fruit maybe without quite the density of the best vintages although a long, complex and seamless finish is impressive. If elegant, long-lived Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon is your thing then this will not disappoint.

Available May 2021 – Signup to the Vasse Felix Mailing list here to purchase on release.

Angus Hughson

Founder at Winepilot

Angus is an award-winning wine writer and the Founder and Publisher of Winepilot, the Australian Editor for leading international publication VINOUS with Antonio Galloni based in New York City and the Co-Publisher of The Australian Ark with over 15 years of publishing, writing and judging experience.

Critic and publisher