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Vasse Felix replaces Heytesbury with new icon
Margaret River estate Vasse Felix has announced it is to replace its top red wine Heytesbury with a new ‘icon’ using vines planted by its founder.
Vasse Felix’s current top red blend, ‘Heytesbury’, will be discontinued in favour of the new ‘Tom Cullity’.
The ‘Tom Cullity’ – named after the winery’s founder Dr Tom Cullity – is a Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec blend, with the fruit coming from the estate’s “home” vineyard which includes the first vines planted by Cullity in 1967.
Ten years in the planning, the first vintage of ‘Tom Cullity’ will be the 2013 and it will be released in May 2017 to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the estate.
With the introduction of a new icon wine, however, Vasse Felix announced that its current top red, ‘Heytesbury’, would have to be discontinued as the two wines compete for the best fruit from these old vines.
The 2012 vintage will be the last ever from Heytesbury although the name will live on in the Heytesbury Chardonnay.
Vasse Felix’s owner, Paul Holmes à Court, said: “Naturally it’s sad to replace the Heytesbury after all these years, especially as it carries an historical family name of mine, but the Heytesbury name will live on with our Heytesbury Chardonnay and we’re really excited about recognising our founder properly with our very best red wine.”
“It’s also sad that Dr Cullity didn’t live to see this wine, but I know he would approve of the wine we’ve put his name to and would be quietly flattered by the gesture.”
“I told the winemakers we’d only consider replacing the Vasse Felix Heytesbury with a ‘super-Heytesbury’, and that’s exactly what they’ve produced with the Tom Cullity. Being a single vineyard version of the Heytesbury, it is now a singular and pure expression of our home, chosen by Dr Cullity above anywhere else 50 years ago.”
“I also really like the fact that the Tom Cullity is a Cabernet Malbec, just as Dr Cullity’s first ever red wine was, made essentially from the same vines nearly fifty years ago. I can’t think of a better way to pay tribute to the man than to come full circle after all this time.”