Vasse Felix, Heytesbury, Margaret River

Colour is deep & dark with some brick tones. A very dark fruited nose with olive, herb and maybe a little capsicum. The palate is huge with lovely texture, finishes warm and has a velvety depth of ripe dark fruits.

2001 vintage

Gorgeous wine in great shape. Somewhere between Bordeaux left bank and Napa. Really stands the test of time and if properly stored this should easily survive another decade. At peak for my taste of ageing.

1998 vintage

No notes - but do remember that this was lovely. I know that doesn't help but its the best i have

2008 vintage

2nd bottle of the night. All bar one enjoyed the wine. One was not enamoured with the dry finish. I agree it leans towards the tannic backbone at this age, but not unpleasant. Bottle disappeared quickly. At 15 years it seems to have peaked. Add to the drink me pile.

2008 vintage

When I was at VF a month ago I tasted and admired their Heytesbury chardonnay but did not sample their Cabernet. So in this flight with Chatters, this showed me what a top rated Margaret River cab could do. However, if this had been a blind tasting I might have been forgiven for thinking this was an older Napa Valley blend from that valley floor, (not a hillside or mountain cab mind you). On top of the still evident oak …

2001 vintage

Cellartracker in the flesh with Stoic Warrior (Donald) (Fix St. James, 111 Elizabeth Street, Sydney) : From Coravin. Like the Bin 389 this is initially quite reticent and shows clumsy acidity adjustment as well as plenty of Eucalyptus, mint and green capsicum. And, again like the Bin 389, it does open with time to show ripe blackcurrant, touches of cassis to join the more herbaceous notes, plenty of tannic grip which proves chalky and slightly woody. Towards the end of …

2001 vintage

Coravin fun - Rioja and lunch selection (My place, Kent Street) : From Coravin. Green capsicum, mint, under this some blackcurrant and blackberry, sweet spice, a little savoury underpin. Leather, fruit becomes more compote with time. Medium plus intensity acidity, herbaceous, slightly sour blackcurrant, talc textured tannins, a little blackcurrant cordial on the finish. Hmm. I think a decant would help here as well...

2001 vintage

Drinking well now but I will be consuming remaining stock in the next couple of years. Tannin and acid starting to dominate. Very similar to the 2007. Both a little disappointing .

2008 vintage

hmmmm.... i have had this wine several times and always found it earthy and very bordeaux cedarary and savoury. but nonetheless enjoyable if you like that style. More secondary red fruits than black but half the table of 10 thought it had a minor TCA fault. i didnt think so . it was outclassed by other cabs from WA on the night but still a lovely wine.

1995 vintage

12 months since my last one of these and it is beautiful, balanced, bright, fragrant, yum. Drinking very nicely but lots of life yet. Shame I only have one left

2008 vintage

Hard to believe this is already a 10 y/old. Still young and fresh. Great balance, length and complexity. Very impressive. Love the depth that the Malbec and Petit Verdot add to the mix. 94+ for future potential

2008 vintage

Coming along nicely, a lovely Bordeaux blend

2008 vintage

Way off being ready, I'd say at least another 7-8 years at least No doubting the quality of the fruit & has structure to burn. Crikey the mint note was distracting though. Peppermint Patty!!

2008 vintage

Auction purchase & based on a couple of other bottles my expectations were low. Cork had done its job well. Dark purple, no bricking evident, very youthful appearance. Leather, pencil shavings, tobacco. Blackcurrant, cassis, gravel, bayleaf A lovely medium bodied WA cab blend, this is what it's all about.

2001 vintage

Initially this was a very tightly wound wine, with intense but retrained power. I absolutely loved it. As it opened up over time the fruit became more prominent and expressive. I want it to evolve back to that initial taste, but suspect it will need some time to get there, probably another 5 years at least.

2008 vintage

great wine, although a little bit faded. light small of cherry and vanilla, good intensive cherry taste. no acidity, no dryness, no tanines, super smooth, also very enjoyable on the second day.

1998 vintage

Very good. Deep claret in colour, still clear even after all this time, dark cherries and soft earth on the nose although definitely a little faded. Very smooth as you might expect but also not going to get any better. A nice line of acidity cutting through but again dulling a little with age. Still a ripper to drink though, especially as we did with hearty a slow-cooked beef cheeks and garlic mash - perfect for a long wintry evening. …

1998 vintage

Beautiful matured Aussie wine. Solid red fruits mainly cherry and plum.. with smoky coffee flavor.. medium to full bodied, long lingering finish.. very good

1998 vintage

Old new world wine. Matured and refined. Red fruits, mainly raspberry and cherry. Medium to full bodied. Very good

1998 vintage

High quality cabernet exuding power and elegance combined. Drinking beautifully now although only upside over the next few years. Margaret river Cabernets are really knocking them out of the park and this is a top shelf example.

2008 vintage

last bottle and very nice . Cork in good condition and just a small amount of sediment . Deep red with some pepper and still fresh . Drinking very well .

1998 vintage

Very nice - better than I remembered . Still fresh fruit - well rounded .

1998 vintage

Popped and poured. Black fruit on first pour but it quickly got redder as it opened. Med-full body with tasty sweet fruit and sweet-spicy cola finish. Commendably, nothing obviously 'Oz' about it. Drank like a perfectly middle aged bottle at first but matured dramatically in the glass, suggesting that these merit drinking sooner than later.

2001 vintage

A beautiful Bordeaux blend, the 2008 Heytesbury is a powerhouse but meticulously made. The nose reveals an abundance of deep mature fruit combined with classical yet classy components like mocha, Christmas spice and subtle blueberry. The palate is perfectly balanced, yet there is a slight touch of heat visible. Probably this depends on the wine being served at just below room temperature. The length on the finish just goes on and on. This wine shows a tremendous potential, but it …

2008 vintage

Surprisingly sweet red fruits, not much nuance or complexity. Nice, resolved, but not top tier Aussie cab.

1998 vintage

Loads of black berries - enjoyed more than the bottles last year . A couple of hours later went back to finish the last third of the bottle and the fruit had faded . drink up .

1998 vintage

Very dark, black. Black fruits, deep, powerful, pure and attractive. Rich, packed with flavour, black fruits slightly different to MR standard red, chocolate edge but not obviously oaky, balanced and long, drinking very well.

2001 vintage

Pleasing. Bold and strong flavors, confident, good nose. Didn't find it too sweet unlike other notes on this wine. Had some depth and complexity, some spice and bite. Held up well too; left a third of a bottle til the next day and found it essentially unchanged.

1998 vintage

just too sweet for my taste

1998 vintage

Dark purple in colour still with loads of fruit - rather sweet for my taste but very pleasant drinking .

1998 vintage

"2011" Sydney International Wine Show - stewarding notes; 10/17/2010-10/22/2010 (Blue Mountains, NSW) : {screwcap, 14.5%} Youthful. Darkly assertive pure cabernet nose. Violets, currants, black fruits, with minimal herbal notes. A medium-full-bodied palate follows, with moderate dusty tannins carrying powerful, ripe, but not over-cooked fruit. Pure quality cassis, even coverage of the tongue, and a balanced medium length finish. All class; drinkable now but with far more to offer in ten years. One to keep.

2008 vintage

Nothing speical. I will probably leave the remaining couple of bottles in the cellar for a few years in the hope they emerge from their shell and develop into something worth while.

2001 vintage

Ma deuxième expérience avec des vins de Vasse Flelix et cette fois-ci c'est la bonne. De loin meilleur que le Shiraz dégusté cette année, cette cuvée Heytesbury est en sorte la cuvée de luxe de Vasse Felix. Le vin ce présente de belle couleur rubis, dense, il est peu évolué. Le nez s'ouvre sur les fruits rouges, le tabac et les violettes, malheureusement un peu de poussière vient gâché le tout. La bouche a une bonne (forte) acidité, les tannins …

2001 vintage

Meaty, complex , animal and leather, cigarette on the nose. Still tight tannin but fine tannin. Minty and a bit eucalyptus. Big and high acidity. Long finish. Should wait for another 10 years.

2001 vintage

Cork disentegrated...still killer, but not good if corks are dried out... ****/*****

2001 vintage

14.2% alc...$30...wow! Earthy and hugely dusty on the nose, mint, almost initially indicates a tart fruit nose...extremely balanced, black fruits, very WA Cab driven, that telltale earth and eucalypt/mint component...

2001 vintage

Montreal Offline: Impromptu Wine Tasting (Restaurant La Coulombe) : Verrrrrry dark ruby red. Nose of fruits, coffee but muted. Nice palate of chocolate but with a disjointed balance. Short finish.

2001 vintage

Century Wine Club - October 2005 (Langton's Classification Tasting) (Shakey Tables, Rothbury, Hunter Valley) : Sweeter tones showing on the nose with huge legs in the glass. Sweet long fruit dominates the palette. Very well built and drinking exceptionally well now considering the youth of the bottle. Funky, sweaty saddle coming of the nose which gives the wine some character. Perhaps abit unbalanced at the moment but the fruit will definitely show through with abit more time. Very good.

2001 vintage

Deep color, all garnet...smoky on the nose, a aspect that I haven't smelled in other bottles, rich, black olives...outrageous palate, tremendous weight, silky feel - yet structured towards the finish. Rich and complete wine, with the ability to last another 15+. This vintage is specifically more Aussie, with that tinge of Bordeaux that this wine always has.

2001 vintage

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Vasse Felix, Heytesbury, Margaret River

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