2022 Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon
96pts James Halliday — Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon from the Region's Founding Estate
My Wine Man on Vasse Felix
Vasse Felix is the founding estate of Margaret River wine — the winery that started it all when Tom Cullity planted the first vines in 1967, and the benchmark against which all Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon is measured. Over five decades, Vasse Felix has refined its approach to produce Cabernet of extraordinary elegance and precision — wines that express the full potential of the region's gravelly loam soils, maritime climate and long, cool growing season. The estate Cabernet Sauvignon is the entry point into the Vasse Felix Cabernet hierarchy, and in a vintage like 2022, it punches well above its station — delivering the structure, depth and regional character that have made Margaret River one of the world's great Cabernet regions.
Tasting Notes
Deep crimson with a purple rim. The nose is classically Margaret River — blackcurrant and cassis at the core, layered with dark cherry, cedar, bay leaf and a fine graphite mineral thread. On the palate, medium to full-bodied with excellent concentration and a fine, polished tannin structure that gives the wine shape and length without heaviness. The fruit is precise and focused, the oak well-integrated, and the finish long and composed. A complete, elegant Cabernet Sauvignon with real regional character. 96pts James Halliday.
Style & Drinking Window
Medium to full-bodied with fine, polished tannins and excellent natural acidity. Drinking beautifully now with or without decanting, and will continue to develop through 2032 and beyond. Decant for 1 hour if drinking young.
Food Pairing
The fine tannins, cassis fruit and cedar complexity of this Vasse Felix Cabernet demand great beef. We love it with Cape Grim grass-fed ribeye steak from My Meat Man — the clean, grass-fed intensity and natural marbling of the ribeye are a perfect foil for the wine's blackcurrant fruit, cedar and finely polished tannins. A pairing that does justice to both.
Why This Is a Smart Buy
96 Halliday points from Margaret River's founding estate at HK$239 is exceptional value. The 2022 Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon delivers the structure, elegance and regional character of wines that regularly command significantly higher prices — and with a decade of development ahead of it, this is a bottle worth buying more than one of.
Looking for a Different Style?
- 2022 Leeuwin Estate Prelude Cabernet Sauvignon → more structured / greater cellaring potential
- 2019 Fraser Gallop Parterre Cabernet Sauvignon → Bordeaux-inspired / refined and precise
- 2020 Hay Shed Hill Cabernet Sauvignon → fresh and fruit-driven / outstanding everyday value
