2023 Vasse Felix Filius Cabernet Sauvignon Margaret River 6pk 6x750ml

Vasse Felix planted the first vines in Margaret River in 1967 — the region's founding estate. Dr Tom Cullity and the Hohnen brothers experimented in a rammed earth shed for six years before releasing their first Cabernet Sauvignon in 1971. That pioneering legacy still runs through every bottle.

Filius is the estate's everyday Cabernet, but there's nothing ordinary about it. Grown further from the ocean with a more continental feel, the 2023 was fermented as 100% whole berries with wild yeasts and spent 10–12 months in French oak. The result is Margaret River Cabernet at its most approachable — bright, fruit-forward, blended with Malbec for structure — but still carrying the regional hallmarks that made this place famous.

The glass delivers abundant blackcurrant, black plum, graphite, and violet, layered with bay leaf, mocha, and spice. The palate is medium-bodied with creamy texture, gently dusty tannins, and bright acidity that keeps everything balanced and fresh. Wine Spectator called out the dense mix of kirsch, cassis, and blackberry, the tobacco and cardamom accents, the firming tannins. It's serious enough to cellar through 2032, but delicious enough to pull the cork tonight.

This is the depth and regional purity Napa drinkers pay $50+ for, from a 91-point wine at $26. The kind of bottle that makes you stop buying supermarket Cabernet.