Tasting Notes 🍷

• Colour – Deep maroon with a purple tinge, vibrant and inviting
• Nose – Bright raspberry fruit, wet forest floor, fresh mushrooms, and cherry wood with hints of hickory and peat
• Palate – Lush entry with polished texture, followed by raspberry coulis and subtle raspberry pip flavours. A dry finish is marked by fine, fresh, stemmy, and mineral notes, creating a refreshing, lingering finish

Critical Acclaim

Ray Jordan – 95 Points

This is as good as any syrah yet from Vasse Felix. It is thoroughly delicious and appealing from the first take on the nose through to the soft and plush palate delivered with medium body. Interesting techniques have captured the best from the fruit. It was wild yeast fermented, with a portion of whole bunches and a little carbonic maceration to bring it all to life. Powerful cherry and spicy plum aromas lead to a medium-weight palate that is so exquisitely smooth and seamless, yet with a fine minerality to define and sustain. Outstanding.

Wine Companion / Halliday – 95 Points

Such a delight to drink shiraz or syrah from Margaret River these days because it’s up there as an excellent drink, as this one attests. While heady aromatics of florals, pepper and spice lure you in, this is very much in a savoury spectrum. All black olives, ferrous and brown spices infusing some dark fruit. Mid-weighted with beautifully shaped tannins and fine acidity to close.

Winemaking Process

The Premier Syrah is crafted with a blend of traditional and innovative techniques, including carbonic maceration and whole-bunch fermentation, which give the wine its vibrant complexity. A portion of the fruit was placed in oak vats as whole bunches, where the berries were untouched for 7-9 days, undergoing an enzymatic fermentation process. After foot stomping, fermentation continued with wild yeast. The remaining fruit was fermented in stainless steel fermenters, allowing the natural flavours to develop with oxidative handling. After fermentation, the wine was pressed into older French oak barriques, where it aged for 12 months, preserving the fresh fruit aromas and elegance.

The 2022 vintage is characterised by a cool, spring-like start to the season, which delayed vine growth. A dry, warm summer followed, with consistent warmth through the critical ripening months, producing excellent fruit quality with surprising delicacy and elegance. Syrah grapes were harvested early, showing ripe fruit character while maintaining bright freshness.

Vintage Description

The 2023 vintage had a cool, winter-like spring which saw vine growth delayed in development. Rainfall in October was significant. A dry and warm summer, with sustained warmth day and night through December, January and February, possibly influenced by another La Niña season, saw a rapid ripening period for all white varieties, with all vineyards harvested in little over a month. Fruit quality was excellent with surprising delicacy and elegance. A low yielding vintage, primarily due to spring conditions over the past two years. Warm and rapid veraison for reds in early February was ideal and saw the Cabernet’s desirable ripe flavours pronounce themselves quickly. Vine health remains fantastic, with fruit quality high and flavours concentrated.

Varieties
100% Shiraz

Pressing
59% Basket press, 41% Air bag press

Fermentation
100% wild yeast
65% destemmed whole berries, wild fermented
35% whole bunch

FAQ Wine Terms 🤔

• Syrah (Shiraz) – A rich, full-bodied red grape variety known for its intense berry flavours, peppery spice, and deep colour. The Syrah style is typically more savoury and spicy compared to its Australian Shiraz counterpart, which can be fruitier and bolder.
• Carbonic Maceration – A winemaking technique where whole, uncrushed berries are fermented in a sealed container with carbon dioxide, encouraging fermentation within the berry itself. This process leads to a fresher, fruitier wine style with bright aromas and vibrant flavours.
• Whole-Bunch Fermentation – A winemaking technique where whole clusters of grapes, including stems, are fermented. This can add complexity, spice, and texture to the wine, as well as subtle herbal and earthy notes.
• Wild Yeast – Natural, indigenous yeasts present on the grapes and in the winery environment that ferment the wine. Wild yeast fermentation can create more complex, nuanced aromas and flavours compared to cultivated yeasts.
• French Oak Barriques – Small oak barrels (228L) used for aging wine. French oak imparts subtle spice, vanilla, and texture, enhancing the wine’s complexity and smoothness.
• Tannins – Natural compounds found in grape skins, seeds, and stems that contribute structure and a drying sensation in the mouth. Tannins also help a wine age gracefully over time.

Food Pairing Suggestions 🍽️

• Roast lamb with rosemary and garlic
• Grilled or charred steaks
• Mushroom-based dishes – wild mushroom risotto or roasted mushrooms
• Aged cheeses – Gruyère, comté, or truffle-infused cheeses

Serving Temperature 🌡️

• Best served at 16-18°C
• If stored at room temperature above 20°C, place in the fridge for 60 minutes before serving
• Decant for 30-60 minutes to allow full expression of flavours

Learn About Vasse Felix

Vasse Felix, Margaret River’s founding wine estate, was established by Dr. Thomas Brendan Cullity in 1967. Among his initial plantings were Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec vines, which formed the foundation for the estate’s first red wine production.

We can order in a Vasse Felix Wine we don’t stock, email us at info@partnersinwine.com.au

Vasse Felix Wines are situated in one of the great wine regions of the world, Margaret River enjoys a truly unique environment and climate which makes it a paradise for winemakers and wine lovers alike. From the first plantings, right up to the modern day, we have always strived to explore and express the very best of the Margaret River region at Vasse Felix.

Vasse Felix Vineyards sit on exceptional sites throughout the region, including Margaret River’s oldest – our Home Vineyard in the Wilyabrup area, planted in 1967. We firmly believe that exceptional wines are born in healthy vineyard environments, embodying the authentic essence of their terroir, and are crafted by a dedicated team of passionate individuals.

Our viticulture and winemaking principles are rooted in the unique needs of Margaret River’s pristine environment. Vasse felix Winery has a specialised approach that prioritises nurturing soil health, ensuring vine longevity, and fostering natural biodiversity within our ecosystem. Drawing from over 50 years of experience, we meticulously balance organic principles with targeted inputs to maximise quality and ensure long-term sustainability.

A significant portion of our efforts is dedicated to the ‘soil season’, where we focus on enhancing the nutrition, replenishment, and microbiology of our ancient soils. During the ‘growing season’, we work intuitively and diligently with each vine’s structure and canopy to optimise grape quality and natural resilience.

At the heart of Vasse Felix Wines lies environmental expression, and to achieve this, every plot of fruit is meticulously tended to from harvest through to fermentation and maturation. With traceability to each individual vineyard plot, our viticulturists and winemakers are empowered to enhance the quality of both land and vine, starting from the ground up.

Read more HERE about what makes Margaret River so great.

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