Vasse Felix, Margaret River, Australien
The 2020 season in Margaret River was an interesting one: warm, low yielding and very early (not as early as 2024!), with great marri blossom aromas and responsible for quite tannic, lushly fruited wines. Generally regarded as very good to excellent, the season had the potential to produce wines that were firm and closed, yet it didn't. So here, the 2020 Tom Cullity Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec is floral on the nose, with raspberry pip, rose petals, pink peppercorn, sumac, clove, a hint of sandalwood and sun-dried kelp. In the mouth, it is everything the nose promises, with a splay of ductile tannin that bends and moves with the fruit as it progresses over the palate. This is a super release from a great year; it's very much in line stylistically with the 2018 and 2014 Tom Cullitys. - Erin Larkin
The nose is wonderfully complex and perfumed with aromas of blackcurrants, violets, wild blackberries, graphite and eucalyptus. The full-bodied palate has seamless tannins and focused acidity, giving notes of mulberries, mocha, dried herbs and saltbush. Very refined and polished with an underlying power. Made from a blend of 81% cabernet sauvignon, 16% malbec and 3% petit verdot. Excellent.
The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec Tom Cullity (a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot) is densely packed, ripped and built for the long haul. Gravel, dried sage and cassis aromas start with a dusting of dark earth and pepper, wrapped up in a finely tuned blanket of mocha French oak. Mouthfilling flavors follow with excellent definition thanks to a dense line of tannins. Refinement is the key here, as is a long, seamless finish - Angus Hughson
A dense and layered red with blackcurrants, mushroom, bark, and forest flowers with hints of fresh sage. Medium-bodied with a pretty core of currants and sweet berries with hints of dried and fresh herbs. So creamy and polished in texture. Extremely long and persistent. Drinks wonderfully now. Savory. A cabernet sauvignon and malbec blend. Own roots. From organically grown grapes.
The 2019 Tom Cullity Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec is the first Tom Cullity without Petit Verdot (composed solely of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Malbec), and it hits differently because of it—no surprise there. On the nose, this is decidedly blue and black fruited, layered with resin and licorice, blueberry and star anise, hints of arnica and nori, with inflections of peat and tobacco, alpine mint (?) and mulberry. Usually, I see an unfettered core of raspberry in this wine, but in this year, it leans heavily on the darker end of the spectrum. On the palate, the wine is supple, spicy and fine, with blackberry coulis, cracked black peppercorns and fine acid that curls through the tannin structure. Tightly coiled currently and silky in its way, it's a super wine. It has a midnight sort of flow. I like it. - Erin Brooks
The bold and chocolatey 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec Tom Cullity rifles with mulberry, blackberry and blackcurrant aromas laced with graphite and inky tones, significant new oak sitting comfortably in the mix. Dense with deep wells of dark fruit flavor, this Margaret River wine retains impressive detail. The tannins are chewy and sturdy, which underlie a gravelly finish that goes on and on and on. It is in a holding pattern right now; all the pieces are waiting to unfold over at least a few decades - Angus Hughson
My thoughts on this excellent iteration of Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon, in this excellent season (unmarred by heat skies, bird threat or any kind of disease pressure), remain unchanged from the last time I tasted it. The 2018 Tom Cullity Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec joins the 2014 as two of the greatest wines every produced at Vasse Felix, and the explosive core of fruit through the middle and back palate illustrates the interminable length that this wine will endure in the cellar. It's a collector's wine, for sure, but also a wine that you should taste as soon as you can in order to understand what I view as being the region's capacity for power, length, tannic profile and fresh fruit. This is an exemplary wine here. - Erin Larkin
Reminiscent of Margaret River's towering eucalyptus, marri flowers, dusty red earth and salty Indian Ocean breeze. red currant and black cherry swirl with graphite, iodine, savory spice and dried violets. Powerful and poised, with downright sexy tannins that cradle the fruit rather than cinch it.
The 2018 vintage can comfortably be described as being one of the greatest, if not the greatest vintage in Margaret River's 55-year modern history (i.e., since 1967). When this 2018 Tom Cullity Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec was released, it was both satisfying and terrifying. The former, because it confirmed everything I had suspected/hoped prior to its release. The latter because it would force me to put my neck on the line and give it the score I believe it deserves. Having seen it blind a number of times in esteemed international company, I am comfortable that this wine more than stands up alongside its counterparts from Bordeaux and Napa in the 2018 vintage. It is a marvelous example of Margaret River Cabernet, in that it offers us red raspberry, pomegranate, cassis and red licorice, alongside pink peppercorns, nori, sun-dried kelp, hints of iodine and earth, and all of it framed by ferrous tannins. It is fresh, it is structured, it is incredibly long. It will live forever.
The super aristocratic 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Tom Cullity, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, is a densely flavoured and structured wine built for the long haul. It boasts incredible concentration yet retains its focus with ink, blackberry and blueberry fruits supported by a rich vein of new, high quality French oak. Significant volume of flavour follows, with waves of fruit plus a gravelly underbelly. A firm bed of tannins sits comfortably with the fruit and all come together to support an incredibly long finish. Benchmark Margaret River Cabernet.
A great edition of the top Cabernet blend from Vasse Felix, this has a lot of power and depth. The aromas run from red to blue and dark berries with a leafy edge and attractive, fresh florals. The palate has a core of blue-toned fruit flavor that drives so deep, with a helix-like interplay of acidity and tannin. Impressive. Drink over the next decade or more.
