Tom Cullity Vintage Perspective
Vasse Felix Tom Cullity 2013 – 2016
Tom Cullity 2016
4th release. 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot
Official Release May 1, 2020
This wine is a tribute to not just our founder, but to a man who had the guts to make Margaret River what it is today. – Paul Holmes A Court, owner Vasse Felix.
The 2016 fruit has a salivating saltiness about it. Led by red berries and cassis it is pure and concentrated. This is almost shimmering in its power and drive. It is very long through the finish; it is hard to know when it ends. The tannins are fine, crushed powder fine. It speaks of balance and harmony. It manages to convey power without weight, it is medium bodied and silky. A gloriously complex, fine and beautiful cabernet. 98/100
Tasted blind in November 2019: Pure power, elegance and class. This is THE wine [of the tasting] so far. Medium bodied elegance, unassailable length and almost unbelievable concentration. Margaret River for sure. 98/100
Over the four years, the blend of the single vineyard Tom Cullity varies in accordance with the vintage conditions. So far, all vintages have been fermented using 100% wild yeast indigenous to the vineyard which is unlikely to change going forward. The wine is almost all fermented with whole berries which minimises the tannic extraction – it goes a long way, but not all the way, to explaining the silky, fine tannin profile of these wines. Effectively, once the berry is removed from the rachis (the stem skeleton) a major source of tannin is taken away. The seeds and the skins are then left to complete the structural job, bolstered by a portion of new oak – the wine shapes itself. The Tom Cullity is easily recognisable for its tannin profile: they are firm and very fine, just as silk is strong and fine and holds its form under pressure.
The tannins from the fruit in that vineyard are always different. The grapes are always the last picked. The vineyard is unirrigated, it is hand-picked. We are pretty hands off in the winery. We incorporate plenty of oxygen so the tannins have more access to oxygen from the get-go. Only one batch of this wine was racked and returned. The other thing to consider with the texture is the wild yeast. It produces beautiful, clean lees. – Virginia Willcock, Vasse Felix Winemaker
The oak is another interesting component here. The 2016 employs the highest percentage of new oak, for the longest period, too. 80% new for 19 months, yet it remains pure and unfettered by the flavour of oak. 2014 is a very difficult vintage to top (characterised by its enduring plushness, balance and form), but if any comes close, it is this, 2016.
Over the years…
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Vintage 2013
76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Malbec, 4% Petit Verdot
100% wild yeast ferment, 98% whole berry, 2% whole bunch
100% French oak, 18 months, 61% new, 39% 1-4yr
Characterised by: Ripe, buxom almost. Moving to spicy, savoury red fruits and plump shape. Warm and dry summer, extended ripening time for the reds due to cooling weather in March.
Drink: Now – 2045+
2013 Tom Cullity
The raspberry on the nose is stewed with blackcurrant, intense, restrained, so elegant. Lithe. Athletic. Toned. So long. The tannins are silky and gossamer fine. The extra year in bottle has been good to it… seaweed/nori earthiness. Supple. Tomato leaf. Hints of violet. Florals. Mulberry. More robust. Slower to develop in the glass than the 2014 TC.
Tasted 2018, 1 year after release
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Savoury spice is woven through the ripe/plush/rich fruit. The length of flavour is phenomenal. The fruit characters lean towards red berries but it is all so integrated and knit together that it is hard to separate the good things from each other.
Tasted 2019, 2 years after release.
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Incredibly aromatic – this shows that same savoury fruit profile that the Premier cabernet exhibits. Clarity of vintage expression. Succulent, plush, open… the berry fruit has a plumpness to it. The tannins are woven into the fruit but it goes further than that – they transcend fruit and move through the finish… it is drawn out and elongated.
Tasted 2020, 3 years after release.
96.5/100
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Vintage 2014
80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Malbec, 4% Petit Verdot
100% wild yeast ferment, 100% whole berry
100% French oak, 18 months, 62% new, 38% 1-4yr
Characterised by: Tension/high notes, classic. Plush, ripe, seamless. Textbook vintage. Excellent balance and physiological ripeness. Excellent quality. Consistent, almost rhythmic temperature patterns throughout the ripening season.
Drink: Now – 2055 (don’t drink it now though!)
2014 Tom Cullity
The red fruits shine here. This is incredible. The structure has a nonchalant ‘old money’ air; it has always been thus. Seamless. Raspberry, pomegranate, red apple skins, pink peppercorn, hints of strawberry, blackcurrant, mulberry, seaweed. Tannins are polished, chewy and sumptuous. Extending through the palate and into the length. Very very long. I can write long after it is gone. Alive. Energy. Beguiling. Depth of flavour. Effortlessly long.
Tasted 2018, pre-release.
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Easier to understand, the space between flavours allows more clarity. This is very digestible. Just magnificent. Elegant and chewy, languid, supple, lithe… Hard to know how to improve on what is here. Sweet cherry tomato, ripe strawberry, raspberry, white pepper, vanilla pod… like a muscular ballerina.
Tasted 2019, (1 year after release)
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This is a near on perfect expression of Margaret River cabernet. Cassis, wild raspberry, finely crushed black pepper, the tannins are powder fine. Minerality, acidity, velvet fruit. Texture. Very long. Delicate oak selection and expression. Nuance. Detail.
Tasted 2020 (2 years after release).
98.5/100
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Vintage 2015
78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot
100% wild yeast ferment, 98% whole berry, 2% whole bunch
100% French oak, 18 months, 51% new, 49% 1-4yr
Characterised by:
Restraint. Relaxed. The 2015’s need time to evolve. It’s a sleeper vintage. Yields massively down, mild growing conditions. Some bird pressure. Do not touch the 2015’s yet, it is not a ‘drink-now’ vintage.
Drink: 2025 – 2060
2015 Tom Cullity
The characters here are mellow and placid, a step down in volume form the 13 and 14. No lack of integrity of concentration, however. I need to see this again in a couple of years. It is quiet and softly spoken right now. Characters of rust, red gravel and iodine punctuate the silky red and black fruit. DO NOT TOUCH THIS.
Tasted 2019, pre-release.
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Purity and restraint, this has clarity of fruit expression, the tannins are incredibly soft. This still has length and drive but it is incredibly understated. Salted raspberry, pomegranate, cassis, dried kelp, hints of brine and iodine. Driven by structure at this point. Closed. But brilliant.
Tasted 2020, 1 year after release.
97/100
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Vintage 2016
78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot
100% wild yeast ferment, 98% whole berry, 2% whole bunch
100% French oak, 19 months, 80% new, 20% 1-4yr
Characterised by: Good fruit set and therefore decent yield (better than the previous two seasons). Moderate long dry conditions for the red ripening period produced reds with bright fruit and ripe tannins. Certainly the 2016 reds I have seen have been characterised by energy, class and ripeness.
Drink: Now – 2055 (don’t drink it now though!)
2016 Tom Cullity
Pure power, elegance and class. This is THE wine [of the tasting] so far. Medium bodied elegance, unassailable length and almost unbelievable concentration. Margaret River for sure.
Tasted blind in November 2019
98/100
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The 2016 fruit has a salivating saltiness about it. Led by red berries and cassis it is pure and concentrated. This is almost shimmering in its power and drive. It is very long through the finish; it is hard to know when it ends. The tannins are fine, crushed powder fine. It speaks of balance and harmony. It manages to convey power without weight, it is medium bodied and silky. A gloriously complex, fine and beautiful cabernet. Utterly delicious, as well as being an excellent wine with a long term cellar proposition.
Tasted 2020, pre-release.
98/100
[As always, these wines are extremely limited and sold to retailers on allocation (a full list of stores can be obtained via the winery), but they can also be purchased direct from Vasse Felix. For two (of select) retailers up in Perth, speak to Lamont’s in Cottesloe, or Old Bridge Cellars I North Fremantle to register your interest]