Vilafonte Seriously Old Dirt 2020
Vilafonte Seriously Old Dirt
Region: Paarl, South Africa
Vintage: 2020
Bottle size: 75cl
Grape: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 4% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc
ABV: 13.5%
Brilliant, deep garnet-red colour. This wine delivers layers of fresh fruit on the nose; plum, black cherry, and blackberry along with warm notes of baking spice and vanilla pod. Subtle liquorice and seductive tobacco and hazelnut add a luxurious dimension. Flavours of ripe black cherry develop into lovely mineral notes, along with a lingering finish. Sumptuous and supple, with a line of acidity, giving elegance and balance.
The 42ha estate on the bench of the Simonsberg Mountains with its unique vilafontes soils, served as the fuse to our vision. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec confirmed its affinity to the ancient soils that has been dated as being somewhere between 750 000 and 1.5mil years old. Planted at high density, these vines adhere to the exquisite struggle; encouraging smaller vines, lower yields and highly concentrated fruit. Vilafonté wines are exclusively from grapes grown on the property.
Zelma Long is one of America’s best-known winemakers with an enviable international reputation. She began her wine-making career at the Robert Mondavi winery, where she was soon promoted to Chief Winemaker. Zelma now oversees the winemaking and style development of the Vilafonté wines, working with the winemaker Chris de Vries. Mike Ratcliffe, co-founder of Vilafonté, is a leader in the Cape wine industry, and for many years has been keenly involved in black economic empowerment and land redistribution. Dr Phil Freese is the creator of the Vilafonté vineyard which he calls ‘different by design’. Having spent 13 years as Robert Mondavi’s Vice-President of Wine Growing, he designed and planted the first Opus One vineyards. He also initiated the remote sensing project with NASA which has provided modern technology for vineyard analysis and quality enhancement. Phil works with Vilafonté winegrower Edward Pietersen. This effective wine-growing combination continues to elevate the quality of the Vilafonté fruit to a level commensurate with the production of the world’s finest wines.