The 2005 vintage in Margaret River,
Western Australia was outstanding, however 2006 was generally not as favourable. Yet, in so-called weaker vintages, good
vineyards and good producers still manage to make wines of real credit, a
reflection of the class and consistent performance, which has given such wines
their fame. This is the case with Vasse
Felix and their Cabernet Sauvignon wine.
Vasse Felix was the first commercial vineyard in the Margaret River,
established by Dr Tom Cullity in 1967, and it has been owned by the Holmes a
Court family since 1987. With the oldest
Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the region, Vasse Felix makes some of the best
wines, the Cabernet Sauvignon rated as ‘Distinguished’ in Langton’s
Classification. It was first made in
1972. Last year, the 2005 Vasse Felix
Cabernet Sauvignon performed admirably in our tasting of Margaret River
Cabernet tasting, Raymond scoring the wine 19.0-/20. Its pricing of $34.90 made it a bargain and
it sold out quickly afterwards.
The Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon
2006 is now available. A blend of
approximately 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, the remainder Malbec, Merlot and a touch
of Shiraz, the wine was aged 18 months in French oak barriques. The 2006 growing season was a long and cool
with some rain in March, which has resulted in wines that are a little lighter
and more elegant than the fuller, warmer styles of years such as 2005. This was the year that Virginia Willcock took
over the chief winemaker role, her 16 vintages in Margaret River
providing invaluable experience in working with the fruit. The wine is dark ruby red, very youthful in
appearance, and has intense, vibrant blackcurrant and cassis aromas and
flavours with complex olive tapenade, spicy plum and herb complexities, lifted
with an element of oak shine.
Medium-weight, but with 14.0% alc. providing depth, the wine has fine
supple tannins and some briskness from the acidity. It is bright, and lively now, but should come
together very well over the next 5-8 years, developing into a refined and
aromatic style. Vasse Felix’s track
record is such that it can be relied on to deliver its class.