I wish I had not opened this bottle of wine

Ever opened a bottle of wine and immediately regretted it? 

That was the case at the weekend when I tasted the 2022 vintage release of Vasse Felix's benchmark Tom Cullity cabernet blend. 

It was dark and inky, complex and full, a quality statement; but also taut and very young. 

The 2022 Tom Cullity will, in my opinion, be a much better drink in five years or more. 

Unfortunately when you write about wine and are sent a sample the expectation is that you will taste and review right away - not five years down the track. 

"We recently tasted through 10 years of this wine and the Tom Cullitty remains the same in its stature, meaning and beauty from the old vines, and tells the story of only the minor nuances of 10 beautiful seasons," says winemaker Virginia Willcock. 

"The 2022 simply looks vibrant, energetic, powerful and delicious. It is our timeless tribute from the original vines that shaped Margaret River cabernet."

Made from cabernet sauvignon (87%) with a small amount of malbec (14%) this vintage, Tom Cullitty has become an icon over the past decade. 

Willcock says the Vasse Felix team has "consistently found the wine is ready to drink after two years in the bottle, or three-and-a-half years of age". 

It is a good wine now, but I suspect it will be great, so I'm taking a chance on disagreeing with a leading winemaker and show judge. 

The 2022 Vasse Felix Tom Cullitty is made from fruit grown on 55-year-old vines, honours a regional pioneer who planted the Vasse Felix vineyards and will set you back $200 a bottle. It would make a terrific Christmas present. 

See https://www.vassefelix.com.au/

Meet an ultra-micro producer with just one wine

TThere are boutique wine producers. There are micro producers and ultra-micro wine producers. 

Sons & Brothers Vineyard, maker of the Cabernet of Millthorpe in the Central West of New South Wales, are very much in the final category. 

Hands-on couple Christopher and Kathryn Bourke have been growing grapes at their two-hectare vineyard in the Orange wine region since 1981.

They have just one current release: a 2013 Cabernet blend that retails for $50. 

The couple deliberately release their wines after around a decade in bottke, believing they are at their best from 10-15 years of age. 

"Our Cabernet is exceptionally long lived," says Christopher, "and this is due on part to our unusual closure. This consists of a stainless steel crown cap that is placed over a a tin screw cap wad, which produces a very robust and reliable closure with an indefinite cellaring life".

The Cabernet of Millthorpe is a single vineyard wine, a bottle-aged, medium-bodied blend with a small amount of tempranillo and savagnin blended with the dominant cabernet to add textural interest. 

The couple describes the climate at Millthorpe as being like that of Beaujolais, in France, also known for its nimble, lighter-bodied reds.

So what does it taste like at 11 years of age? It is a very smooth and silky number, with intense flavours but lovely balance, making it very food friendly. 

The cool growing conditions mean the Bourkes ferment the fruit on skins for 28 days in open-topped vessels and use just a tad of  French oak (only 5-15% new) to allow the wine to be fruit forward and reflect its terroir.

The wine is only made in good years, hence there were no releases in 2011 or 2012.

This is extremely interesting and about as Burgundian as cabernet can get. 

The wine can be tried at at Ferment (The Orange Wine Centre), 87 Hill Street Orange. Ferment is open from Monday to Saturday between 11am and 8pm. Chris Bourke is at Ferment most Saturdays.

For more details see www.sonsandbrothers.com.au