The promise of things to come;

the Wine that proved that Margaret River and Moss Wood were destined for greatness.

We all know Margaret River as Cabernet Kingdom one of Australia's blessed sites. Along with Coonawarra and the Yarra Yalley, Margaret River dominates the new world of Cabernet and regularly challenges the icons from Bordeaux.

When did the intrepid pioneers including Cullity, Cullen, and Pannell "know" they weren't wasting their lives on the quixotic wine quest. Plenty of clever and successful people told them that following the plans of messer's Gladstone, Jamieson, Mann and Devitt to start a wine industry in Margaret river was madness and a sure path to ruin!

After all you couldn't even fatten cattle or run dairy in the area! All it had was mad surfers and rubbish roads!

Dr Cullity, the founder of Vasse Felix, must have wondered when he showed his first wines to a group of friends and Margaret River neighbour's in 1970. Everyone was very enthusiastic and the Beer was going very well. A few were tasting his proudly presented Riesling. A building contractor thanked Dr Cullity for his hospitality and told him that spending time making quality wine was like "wasting racing car fuel on a tractor"!

Dr Cullity recalled many years later how it was the 1974 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon and its success at shows and tastings that inspired confidence in Margaret River! Everything is now history; and sadly many of the pioneers are no longer with us.

Recent Wine Auction world record prices for the Moss Wood 1974 Cabernet Sauvignon speak for themselves. Selling in 2007 for over $1,500 a bottle the 1974 is the costliest ever bottle of Moss Wood!

The two wonderful examples in the Sterling October Auction Catalogue have been in the same Perth home cellar since purchase on release after a tour of Margaret River in 1976! The owner told me that he always knew they were special bottles and too important to drink!

This is your chance to own a rare and special part of WA and Australian Wine history. The 1955 Grange of WA?

September 2009