Icon Range Tom Cullity Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec
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Rated 99/100 by James Suckling (top 3% of their reviews).
From our sommelier team
An icon-tier Cabernet Sauvignon-Malbec from Margaret River's oldest vines, structured and savoury rather than fruit-forward, built for long aging.
Tom Cullity is Vasse Felix's flagship red, drawn from the estate's oldest Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec vines, planted by founder Dr Tom Cullity in 1967 and among the oldest Cabernet plantings in Australia. The blend is Cabernet Sauvignon-led with a meaningful proportion of Malbec (recent vintages have run roughly three-quarters Cabernet Sauvignon to under a fifth Malbec, with a small addition of Petit Verdot in some years) — the Malbec contributes dark fruit lift and a softer mid-palate against the Cabernet's structure. Under chief winemaker Virginia Willcock, who has led the wine program since 2006, the style favours savoury, earthy, ferrous tannin over overt oak or jammy fruit, aromas of cassis and red licorice sitting alongside pepper, dried herb and mineral tones. It is built to reward a decade or more in bottle rather than immediate drinking. As Margaret River's oldest continuously producing estate, the wine functions as a vertical record of the region's Cabernet potential — critics have tasted verticals back to the early 2010s specifically to trace that evolution.
Producer history
Vasse Felix was founded in 1967 by Dr Tom Cullity, a Perth cardiologist who planted the first vines in what is now the Margaret River region on the hypothesis that its climate suited fine wine — a hypothesis nobody had tested at the time. His 1972 Cabernet Sauvignon-Malbec and Riesling were the region's first serious commercial wines, making Vasse Felix the founding estate of Margaret River. The Holmes à Court family (via their Heytesbury pastoral and wine holdings) has owned Vasse Felix since 1987 and has expanded it into one of the region's largest fine-wine producers while keeping the founder's original vineyard block in production. The Tom Cullity bottling was created specifically to honour Cullity and to showcase fruit from the vines he planted himself.
Signature pairings
- Roast rack of lamb with rosemary — The wine's firm, savoury tannin and dried-herb undertones mirror lamb's fat and rosemary's resin without competing with the fruit character.
- Grilled Wagyu beef short rib — High tannin and structure need the fat and char of grilled beef to soften and integrate; the wine's cassis fruit stands up to a rich cut.
- Beef massaman curry (แกงมัสมั่นเนื้อ) — Massaman is mild-heat and warmly spiced rather than chili-forward, so it doesn't clash with the wine's tannin; the dish's sweetness and richness suit the wine's dark fruit and spice tones.
Vasse Felix, established 1967 in Wilyabrup, Margaret River, pioneered premium winemaking in Western Australia's most southerly maritime region. This Icon Range expression pairs the estate's flagship Cabernet Sauvignon with Malbec, a deliberate structural choice that adds textural complexity to the region's naturally powerful reds.
Wilyabrup's gravelly loam soils over limestone sit at 60–80 metres elevation, with cooling Indian Ocean influence moderating the Mediterranean climate. These conditions extend ripening, building phenolic maturity while preserving acidity—critical for age-worthy blends.
Fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel precedes 18 months in French oak (percentage new not disclosed in available documentation), with malolactic conversion in barrel. The Malbec component introduces darker fruit density and structural grip without overwhelming the Cabernet's varietal expression.
This blend represents a deliberate move beyond single-varietal convention—Malbec remains uncommon in Margaret River's Cabernet-dominant canon, signalling the winemaker's confidence in the region's capacity to ripen both varieties to full phenolic expression.
The 2019 and 2020 vintages show immediate approachability with 15+ years' cellaring potential; the maritime vintage character of Margaret River ensures acidity remains the spine through extended age.
Details
- Country
- Australia
- Region
- Western Australia
- Subregion
- Margaret River
- Variety
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec
- Vintage
- 2017
- Bottle size
- 750 ml
Taste profile
- Body
- Full
- Acidity
- Medium-High
- Tannin
- Medium-High
Pairs well with
- Grilled red meat & steak
- Lamb dishes
- Game meats
- Cured meats & charcuterie
Sommelier’s pick: Slow-braised beef short ribs with red wine reduction · Grilled lamb shoulder with rosemary and garlic · Venison loin with cherry gastrique
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