Some of the finest Cabernet Sauvignons pound for pound are coming out of Australia's Margaret River! There’s no better ambassador than Vasse Felix whose original owner Dr. Tom Cullity was a pioneer of this pristine isolated area of Western Australia. Their key focus is to convey pure site expression for all their estate bottlings. We marvel at the quality of their Cabernet for their price point in comparison to what is out there from Napa. Their signature bottling, the “Premier” relies on select blocks off their Wilyabrup Vineyard to craft a Cabernet that represents the “house” style. It has the dubious distinction of being the first red wine produced in Margaret River and has been bee made every year since 1972. 

2017 was one of the coolest on record for the region. The result is a wine that is extremely elegant and less ripe than in other vintages. The wine is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon with equal parts of Malbec and Petit Verdot. It’s 100% wild yeast fermented, as well as nearly 100% whole berry fermented. This is a very rare combo to find when it comes to making Cabernet. We feel this is an amazingly authentic and pure wine strutting, gobs of gorgeous blackberry fruit, and tart black currants. Complexities come in the form of wood spice, sweet tobacco leaf, cigar smoke, dark chocolate, savory herbs, and crushed pink peppercorns. Its dusty, well-integrated tannins make for an ideal “drink-me-now” offering, but based on the winery’s track record and cool vintage, this effort will cellar well beyond the five to seven-year mark no problem.