VASSE FELIX ‘FILIUS’ CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2023

This Might Just be the Best Buy in the Wine World…

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 2023 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.

Seriously, if you told us this wine was $40, we would be over the moon with this offering. At a crazy $19.99 this is, as Rex is famous for saying "Fill your Boots" territory.

Wonderful Cabernet character with a freshness that only comes from Margaret River, underlined with a small Malbec component, that brings an approachable juiciness that makes the wine so drinkable now. There is also enough structure and acidity to suggest this will reward cellaring (as evident by a 2014 we recently tried that was superb).

Grab as much of this as the budget allows and thank yourself for the investment later.

Probably the Best Value Red on the NZ Market!
but don't just take our word for it, check out these reviews…

Winery notes (2023 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.

Bright blood plum and blackcurrant fragrance lift from the glass, layered with graphite, dried winter herbs— bay and sage—violets, and spicy charcuterie. Subtle notes of mushroom and Mexican chocolate add complexity. A soft and fresh entrance reveals bright fruit and a dusty tannin build, finishing powdery and dry. Elegant yet juicy acidity carries fresh blackcurrant, with a hint of native potpourri lingering over a solid tannin base.

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 of gentle soaking, fermentation began, 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 wine was matured in fine older French oak for 10-12 months prior to blending, with limited racking to help preserve the freshness and delicate wild characters captured in this low intervention approach."

94/100 Ray Jordan (2023 Vintage)
"Consistently one of the best cabernets from WA. It’s designed to express its best qualities as a young wine, with its brightness and energy immediately apparent. It’s a blend of cabernet with a small amount of malbec, an important variety at Vasse Felix. Smooth and seamlessly structured with a sublimely elegant expressive palate. It’s medium-bodied with a fine boned structure. Subtle use of oak and fine tannins adds support. The best yet."

92/100 Jane Faulkner, James Halliday Wine Companion (2023 Vintage)
"Highly appealing from the word go. All dark fruits and spice, savoury with a little mint and nori in the mix. It’s supple and giving across the mid-weighted palate, pliable tannins and a freshness throughout."

92/100 Christina Pickard, Wine Enthusiast (2023 Vintage)
"An excellent intro to this famed Western Australian Cab style, this vintage is, compared to the previous two, on the richer, denser side. Supple dark berry fruit with salt-flecked herbs, seaweed savouriness and a dark chocolate underbelly are woven with powdery, chiselled tannins and tangy blackcurrant acidity. Drink now with plenty of protein or age for several more years."