Vasse Felix Filius Cabernet Sauvignon Margaret River 2017

I requested a few Margaret River Cabernets sent to me a few months back. I’ve long thought there was great value in Australia’s Southwest Coast, a region treated by terrific maritime conditions that helped them churn out elegantly woven, herbaceous Cabernets. One of the bottles that came in was from Vasse Felix, the oldest winery in Margaret River and one of the best to this day.

It was a knockout Cab, but there was one problem– the note that more was being ordered to arrive in July. I knew what that meant. By the time I’d get this wine, the critics will have gotten their hands on the wine too and there won’t be much to go around.

Sure enough, a 92-point review by Wine Spectator followed by a 96 point review from James Halliday, the Australian wine critic whose deep focus on his nation’s wines have helped shine the spotlight on some incredible boutique wineries, like this one today. Unfortunately, good press is bad news as this left me with an allotment of only 96 bottles today. I’ll take what I can get.

Bramble, wild berries and herbs on the nose. On the mouth, red currants, crushed flowers, and a hint of spice. At $26/ bottle for a 96-point Cabernet, this is beyond a no-brainer.  The 96 bottles we have should only last us so long. This one is a really cool wine to check out before it’s too late!