Vasse Felix

Vasse Felix was established in 1967 by Dr Tom Cullity, a Perth-based cardiologist who became the founding figure of the Margaret River wine industry. Cullity had been alerted to the region's wine potential by John Gladstones' 1965 paper assessing Margaret River as climatically analogous to Bordeaux and ideally suited to Bordeaux varieties, and Cullity acted on that thesis by planting the region's first commercial vineyard near Wilyabrup in 1967. The first vintage in 1971 was hampered by bird damage and bunch rot (the bird-eating raptor that the estate name honours, the silvereye-eating Australian falcon known as the vasse felix or 'lucky vasse', became the estate emblem after Cullity used falcons for bird control), but by 1972 the Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling were earning gold medals at national wine shows. Cullity's pioneering work directly inspired the subsequent founders of Margaret River, including Bill Pannell of Moss Wood (1969), Kevin and Diana Cullen of Cullen Wines (1971), David Hohnen of Cape Mentelle (1970), and Denis Horgan of Leeuwin Estate (1973). Vasse Felix's status as Margaret River's founding wine estate is the foundational chapter of the region's modern history.

• Dr Tom Cullity (Perth cardiologist) founded Vasse Felix in 1967; Margaret River's first commercial wine estate
• John Gladstones' 1965 paper identifying Margaret River as climatically analogous to Bordeaux inspired Cullity's planting decision
• First vintage 1971 (difficult); 1972 Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling won gold medals confirming regional potential
• Vasse Felix's founding directly inspired the subsequent Margaret River 'founding cohort': Moss Wood 1969, Cape Mentelle 1970, Cullen 1971, Leeuwin Estate 1973

The Holmes à Court family acquired Vasse Felix in 1987, with the late Robert Holmes à Court (one of Australia's most prominent businessmen of the 1980s) leading the acquisition as part of his Heytesbury Holdings portfolio. The estate's top-tier wines bear the Heytesbury name in his honour. Following Robert Holmes à Court's death in 1990, Janet Holmes à Court became the steward of the estate and the family's broader interests; she has been a defining figure in Australian wine and business across the subsequent decades. Paul Holmes à Court, her son, currently serves as proprietor and chief executive of Vasse Felix, representing the second generation of family stewardship. The Holmes à Court ownership has provided continuity, investment, and a long-term commitment to quality that has allowed Vasse Felix to maintain its founding-estate status without the disruption of corporate consolidation or generational sell-down. The estate remains privately family-owned, which is increasingly rare among Margaret River's founding producers.

• Holmes à Court family ownership since 1987; Robert Holmes à Court acquisition through Heytesbury Holdings
• Heytesbury name applied to top-tier wines honours Robert Holmes à Court (died 1990)
• Janet Holmes à Court family steward since 1990; defining figure in Australian wine and business
• Paul Holmes à Court current proprietor and chief executive; second-generation family stewardship

Vasse Felix's flagship wines anchor the estate's reputation at the very top of Margaret River. The Tom Cullity Cabernet-Malbec, named for the founder, is the top-tier flagship and is built as a Bordeaux-style blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon with a significant Malbec component (typically 10 to 15 percent), echoing the original blend ratios that Cullity pioneered in his early vintages. The Tom Cullity is produced only in vintages of exceptional quality and is one of the most age-worthy red wines in Australian fine wine, with structure built for 20 to 30 years of cellaring. The Heytesbury Chardonnay, sourced from the estate's older Gingin clone Chardonnay vines, is one of Australia's most decorated single-site Chardonnays and competes at the very top tier of Australian Chardonnay alongside Leeuwin Art Series and Giaconda. The Heytesbury Cabernet Sauvignon (a pure Cabernet-dominant Bordeaux blend) is the other top-tier red flagship. The mid-tier Filius range offers Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Shiraz at more accessible price points, while the estate range and the Classic Dry White (a Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc) round out the portfolio at value tiers.

• Tom Cullity Cabernet-Malbec: top-tier flagship named for the founder; Cabernet-dominant Bordeaux blend with 10 to 15 percent Malbec
• Heytesbury Chardonnay: one of Australia's most decorated single-site Chardonnays; Gingin clone fruit
• Heytesbury Cabernet Sauvignon: top-tier Cabernet-dominant Bordeaux blend; sibling red flagship to Tom Cullity
• Filius range mid-tier; estate range and Classic Dry White (Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc) at value tiers

Virginia Willcock has been chief winemaker at Vasse Felix since 2006 and is one of Australia's most respected winemakers. She was named James Halliday Winemaker of the Year in 2012, a recognition that placed her at the pinnacle of Australian winemaking and cemented Vasse Felix's modern quality reputation. Under Willcock's stewardship, the estate has refined its Chardonnay programme around the Gingin clone (a Margaret River-adapted clone with small bunches and concentrated fruit), elevated the Heytesbury Chardonnay to consistent top-Australian status, and re-launched the Tom Cullity Cabernet-Malbec as the founder-honouring flagship. The winemaking approach is restrained and terroir-focused: indigenous yeast fermentations, French oak with measured new-oak percentages, and an emphasis on freshness, structure, and longevity over ripeness or extraction. The estate's four vineyard sites (Wilyabrup Home Vineyard, Karridale, Gnarawary, and the historic 1967 plantings) provide complementary fruit profiles that Willcock blends across the estate-tier wines.

• Virginia Willcock chief winemaker since 2006; James Halliday Winemaker of the Year 2012
• Refined Chardonnay programme around the Gingin clone; elevated Heytesbury Chardonnay to consistent top-Australian status
• Re-launched the Tom Cullity Cabernet-Malbec as the founder-honouring top-tier flagship
• Restrained, terroir-focused winemaking: indigenous yeast, measured new oak, emphasis on freshness, structure, and longevity

Vasse Felix farms approximately 140 hectares across four vineyard sites in Margaret River. The Home Vineyard at Wilyabrup includes the original 1967 plantings, which remain the oldest commercial vines in Margaret River and provide the foundational fruit for the estate's heritage identity. Wilyabrup's gravelly loam soils over ironstone laterite subsoils, combined with elevations of 80 to 110 metres and proximity to the Indian Ocean, produce the structured, age-worthy Cabernet style that defined Margaret River's emergence. The Karridale vineyard in the cooler southern sub-zone provides Chardonnay and aromatic white fruit, while Gnarawary contributes additional Cabernet and Chardonnay parcels. The estate's identity as Margaret River's founding wine estate is preserved through ongoing care of the original 1967 vines, the on-site wine museum documenting the region's history, and the cultural infrastructure (cellar door, restaurant, art gallery) that has made Vasse Felix one of Margaret River's most-visited destinations. The estate holds Sustainable Winegrowing Australia certification.

• Home Vineyard at Wilyabrup includes the original 1967 plantings; oldest commercial vines in Margaret River
• 140 hectares across four vineyard sites: Wilyabrup Home Vineyard, Karridale, Gnarawary, and additional Wilyabrup parcels
• Wilyabrup's gravelly loam over ironstone laterite at 80 to 110 metres elevation defines the founding Margaret River Cabernet style
• On-site wine museum, cellar door, restaurant, and art gallery preserve the founding-estate cultural identity