#83 in Top 100 Cellar Selection, 2024. From an excellent vintage, Vasse’s top dog red deftly demonstrates the unique juxtaposition of grace, perfume and power inherent to this unique West Aussie region. 2020 is particularly aromatic and fruit driven, but the pop of fresh cherry, currant, raspberry and red licorice is neatly underscored by savory herb, graphite and dark-chocolate nuances. Ultrafine, chalky tannins are beautifully integrated with the silky red fruit and fresh acidity on the palate. A highly classy, harmonious and expertly made bottling that could cellar for decades whilst offering drinkability right now. (Cellar Selection)
The 2020 Tom Cullity Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec is looking so good today, at just five years from its harvest. The tannins are shapely and permeate the fruit characters on the palate, while the length of flavor persists long after the wine has gone. This feels immediately more approachable and succulent than the other vintages tasted here before it, and while the wine may live long into the future, it's offering some very attractive arguments for drinking today. Go as you will.
#40 in Top 100 Wines of Australia, 2024. 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. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
Winemaker Virginia Willcock worries about her flagship wines leaving the fold, as in Heytesbury Chardonnay and Tom Cullity, released too young, she says. And while she’s right, anyone buying them knows time will reward the patient. It’s built for ageing, but I’m impatient, and this Tom Cullity is youthful but also complete. Malbec, off the original plantings, comprises 16 per cent of the blend; three per cent petit verdot, too, is fundamental to the shape and flavour profile. Dark-fruited, meaty, spicy, complex, roasted chicory accented, floral and beguiling. Fuller bodied with exceptional tannins, all textural, expansive and long, working in tandem with the acidity to a long finish.
The 2020 Tom Cullity is a classic Cabernet Sauvignon, offering a confident and robust blend of blackcurrant and gravel laced with rubbed sage and inky tones. Deep-set chalky tannins underpin lavish levels of flavor before the palate fleshes out on the finish. The 2020 is approachable now, but there is plenty of aging potential.
Produced from vines planted in 1967 by Dr. Tom Cullity, this top Cabernet blend was renamed after the estate’s founder in 2013. From a fantastic vintage, this is still a baby of a wine considering its lifespan. The nose opens with an innate flashiness of red berries and tuberose absolute; but prettiness and charm underpin the opulence. Intensity and concentration on the palate; tannins are tight-knit and firm, yet with just enough movement to support the fruit weight and silvery acidity. Fruit is pristine yet powerful. Sun-warmed ironstone gravel and a hint of oak spice frame a flush of raspberry, tomato skin and delicate coppa meatiness. Judicious use of oak lets the fruit shine, and the length is outstanding. Elegant, with a long life ahead, yet it will drink well in its earlier years thanks to its generosity of fruit and sense of ease.
Winery Notes
Appearance: Ruby with a purple hue.
Nose: a deep perfume of wild berries reveals distinctive savoury characters, woodsy Margaret River Forest and briny ocean breeze. Intense and powerful with dried rose petal and violet paired with earthy aromas of mushrooms, the spice of fresh cedar, and linseed oil. Hints of peppermint tree leaves are complemented by enticing notes of a canelé pastry and dark chocolate.
Palate: Incredibly luscious, rich fruit builds into a long, fine, powdery tannin structure. Refreshing floral notes are expressed throughout the palate with lingering blackcurrant and blackberry. Medium bodied, the complexity of ocean and nori influence pairs beautifully with notes of chocolate, leather polish and exotic spices. An elegant, palpable and clean dry finish with earthy power and wild berry custard tart rounding out this complex palate.
