Vasse Felix Tom Cullity

Vasse Felix Tom Cullity bottle image

Wine Description

Vasse Felix, Margaret River's founding wine estate, was established by Dr Thomas Brendan Cullity in 1967. Among his first plantings were Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec vines, from which he produced the estate’s first red wine. The Tom Cullity descends from these original vines and represents the pinnacle of Vasse Felix.

accordion plus icons
Acclaim
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. Excellent. — James Suckling, Nov 2024
Maturing crimson. Much deeper-flavoured than the regular Cab. An interestingly gamey note and real punch. You could enjoy this now but it clearly has potential for ageing. Very clean and fresh! — Jancis Robinson, Nov 2024
View more acclaim Arrow Right
accordion plus icons
Vineyard & Production Info
Soil composition
deep gravel loam soil over clay
Year vineyard planted:
1967
Harvest time:
March-April 2016
First vintage of this wine:
2013
Average Vine Age:
53 years
Certifying Organizations:
NASSA
accordion plus icons
Winemaking & Aging
Prefermentation Technique:
100% wild yeast, whole berry
Time on its skins:
11-30 days
Varietal composition:
81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot
Fermentation container:
78% Static Fermentation, 22% Open Fermentation
Malolactic fermentation:
Full
Fining agent:
Egg white
Type of aging container:
Barriques
Type of oak:
French
Length of aging before bottling:
19 months
Age of Aging Container:
80% new, 20% 1-4 year old
Total SO2
82
accordion plus icons
Analytical Data
pH level:
3.61
Acidity:
5.8 g/L
Alcohol:
14.5 %
Total SO2
82
Residual sugar:
0.44 g/L
accordion plus icons
Wine Production

All blocks destemmed only without crushing and then allowed to ferment naturally. The Cabernet Sauvignon (making up 78%) was static fermented, gently pumped over through a splash tub and then left on skins for up to 30 days. This was a particularly brilliant year for tannin ripeness and the time on the skins allowed for the wine to become structurally sound and stabilised. The Malbec and Petit Verdot (making up 22%) were open fermented, hand plunged and pressed dry. The small sections were basket pressed to fine French oak and matured for 19 months. The strength of the fruit in this vintage resulted in a greater contribution from new oak compared to previous vintages.

accordion plus icons
About the Vineyard

Dry warm spring conditions at the end of 2015 helped establish a healthy fruit set and better yields than the previous two seasons.