2017 Vasse Felix Filius Cabernet Sauvignon Margaret River Australia 750 ml

It was 8 a.m. in Margaret River when our Head of Wine and resident Master of Wine Vanessa Conlin chatted live on YouTube with Vasse Felix veteran winemaker Virginia Willcox. From our respective screens, we had glasses of the sumptuous 96-point Filius Cabernet Sauvignon in hand, meanwhile, Virginia had already been at work for an hour, knee-deep in the throes of harvest in Australia. 

It was an incredible conversation, and it has to be said that the generosity we found in the glass—succulent blackberry and ripe blueberry, layered with miles of umami depth—was only exceeded by the winemaker herself in making the space to talk to us during the busiest time of the year. 

We absolutely fell in love with the 2017 Filius Cabernet. The magic of Margaret River, a remote Cabernet oasis jutting from Australia’s southwestern tip into the vast Indian Ocean, was palpable in the glass. There is a striking freshness and elegance in this Cabernet that speaks of the sea. Meanwhile, the region’s ancient gravelly loam soils express themselves in a finely chiseled mineral backbone layered with notes of forest floor, dried nori, and ground coffee. As James Halliday wrote in his 96-point review, “This has provenance written large across its visage, likewise purity.” 

The unmistakable signature of Margaret River is one reason Halliday added the 2017 Filius Cabernet to his coveted list of 2019’s Top 100 wines, the other is undoubtedly its value. At its under-$25 price point—$21.99 on cases today—this absolutely commands recognition as a wine that delivers world-class pedigree without breaking the bank.  

It’s what we’ve come to expect from Vasse Felix, which Robert Parker called “one of Australia’s treasures,” whose wines are “definitely worth the hunt.” The estate notched Wine Enthusiast’s New World Winery of the Year award in 2017, 50 years after its debut, and 14 years after the early-rising Virginia Willcox brought in her first harvest. 

Vasse Felix is where Dr. Tom Cullity planted Margaret River’s first vines in 1967. He’d spent years hunting for the ideal site, eventually finding it among deep gravelly loam atop clay subsoils along a swath of land not four miles east of the Indian Ocean. Cullity named it “Home Vineyard” and planted Shiraz, Chardonnay, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Nearly half a century later, Wine Spectator’s Matt Kramer would highlight Margaret River as one of “The World’s Most Overlooked Fine-Wine Regions,” writing: “The top rank of Margaret River Chardonnay and Cabernet is, simply put, in the top rank of the world. And by that, I’m including the likes of Burgundy (for the Chardonnay) and Bordeaux and Napa Valley (for Cabernet Sauvignon).”

It’s one thing to be the first in a world-class region, it’s another to stay on top. But there’s no doubt that Vasse Felix and Virginia Willcock have only gained steam, fine-tuning their approach over time. As Virginia told us: “Through my winemaking history, the wines I’ve learned to love were the wines that had beautiful transparency; that talked about where they were from...so I’ve become a lot more hands-off, allowing the wines to express themselves a lot better. I have to say, I think the style of wine I’m making now is about 50 times better than what I was making 15 years ago.” 

The seamless blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Malbec, and 4% Petit Verdot that makes up the 96-point 2017 Filius is as transparent as it gets—bursting with fresh, perfectly ripened dark fruit buttressed by well-structured tannins, it translates the oceanic beauty of Margaret River with ease, and it goes down just as easily. 

We fell in love with it after our first sip, and we know you will too.