VASSE FELIX TOM CULLITY 2021 750ML 2021

Elegant with incredible purity of fruit. Perfumed aromas of red and black currants, juicy ripe plums and tobacco leaves with bitter chocolate, crushed blackberries, dried herbs and cedar. The midweight palate is succulent but not fat, showing finely integrated tannins and great depth. A beautiful, superbly approachable wine that still has a long life ahead in bottle. Great tension and minerality. A blend of 81% cabernet sauvignon and 19% malbec. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

The 2021 Tom Cullity Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec was released just earlier this year in 2025, and this will be the only year in which there will be two releases of the wine in the same calendar year. The Tom Cullity Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec has been brought forward in its release cycle to three and a half years from harvest, while the Heytesbury Chardonnay—the estate's flagship white wine—has been pushed back into the following year. So in context, the 2021 Tom Cullity Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec is lighter and finer than all of the previous vintage releases, and it shows more of an emphasis on tannin than fruit. I like this, as it is a reflection of the challenging season from whence it came: warm conditions—not hot—and with constant rainfall. This rainfall also brought with it cloud cover, and the harvest started the latest of all vintages, with the exception of the cool 2017 and 2019 seasons. This is a lovely wine, one that defies and encompasses its year.

The 2021 Tom Cullity showcases the cooler season, with wintergreen and cedar elements leading, and fleshy blackcurrant and mulberry aromas in support. The nose is punchy and the palate is firmly structured. Sinewy tannins evoke an Old-World expression and counterbalance considerable power before a finish of exceptional length. The 2021 is very young and needs a little time to come together.