VASSE FELIX FILIUS CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2022

Vasse Felix equals high quality Margaret River Cabernet and this entry level label would have many producers wishing it were their top label. A Vino Fino favourite, the 2022 is ripe and generous and could have you thinking you should drink now, but be assured it will last for many years. A terrific wine.

Winery notes (2022 Vintage)
"'A new-age Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon (blended with Malbec), expressing all the regional hallmarks. It is a bright, fruit-forward, earlier-drinking style with attractive savoury nuances from Vasse Felix’s quality-led, minimal intervention winemaking approach.

Lovely blood plum and cassis fragrance, with graphite, bay laurel, violets, spicy charcuterie, and a hint of bouquet garni mixed with cedar. Incredibly soft, juicy and approachable with intense dark fruit flavour. Silken berry puree with fresh fruit acidity and a soft powdery dry tannin finish with lingering cassis and dark chocolate flavours.

The individual batches were destemmed and sent as whole berries to stainless steel rotating fermenters. 100% wild yeast was allowed to ferment all our red batches. After a few days in a gentle soak, fermentation kicked off, with batches pressed once fermentation was complete. Open top and use of aeration during fermentation helped to promote a clean fruit perfume, soften the tannins and bring so much life to the wine. The resulting wines were matured in fine French oak for 11 months prior to blending, with limited racking to help preserve the delicate wild characters captured in this low intervention approach."

96/100 & Editors' Pick Christine Pickard, Wine Enthusiast (2022 Vintage)
"A fabulous vintage of Filius, and a total bargain for this level of quality. Layered aromas appear from first sniff: plump currants and plums, dark chocolate, savoury herbs and florals, graphite and a mineral, iodine-like nuance. In the mouth, there’s bright fruit and silky texture, with savoury, fine tannins and a long, elegant finish. Made to drink now or to age for several more years. A wonderful intro to this distinctive Aussie style."

95/100 Shanteh Wale, WinePilot.com, October 2024 (2022 Vintage)
"90.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.6% Malbec and yes the decimal point of a percentage was scrutinised over. This is Vasse Felix, don’t you know?! Well in case you didn’t, the red wine program at Vasse is something you need to taste to be believed. From this humble $30 right to the pointy end, it’s the work of magicians. Here you’ll find boysenberry, blackcurrants, figs and sandalwood. Black cherry, balsamic glaze and olive leaf. Rosemary stem and wild thyme. The flavour palate is long and mighty, with grainy tannins and a sleek drive of acidity. Swiss mushroom and potting soil. Utterly memorable now and will cellar well for another 10 years. How do they do it? Never mind, I believe in magic. Serve with a good Irish beef stew."

93/100 Tom Kline, WinePilot.com, Octber 2024 (2022 Vintage)
"Plum, graphite and paperbark on opening, followed by deeper notes of blackcurrant, seaweed and whispers of woodsmoke. This really comes together with air. There’s a good burst of fruit supported by savouriness through the palate with blackberry, dark plum, mulberry underpinned by graphite and black tea before being encased in ribbons of gravelly black tea tannins and latent black fruited acidity to a fresh close. Good complexity and shape here at the price point. A lovely drink."

Joelle Thomson, Drinksbiz Magazine, September 2024 (2022 Vintage)
"Western Australian winery Vasse Felix has carved a name for itself as a producer of outstanding, complex wines. This is one of the best. It is an affordably-priced classic Cabernet Sauvignon, overflowing with juicy layers of red and dark berries, dried herbs and black olives, all intermingling in a complex juicy wine. Drink now in a large glass, decanted, or age for up to 10 years."

92/100 JamesSuckling.com (2022 Vintage)
"The nose is deeply scented and perfumed with an underlying power, showing notes of blackcurrants, dried herbs, boysenberries, violets and mulberries. The palate is medium-bodied with finely integrated tannins, bright acidity and notes of wild blackberries, tobacco leaves and mocha. Very well constructed."