Vilafonté Series M, Paarl 2020

Vilafonté is one of the newer premium names in the Cape, yet it celebrated a 25 year milestone in 2022. It began as a partnership between Mike Ratcliffe, former joint owner and MD of Warwick Estate in Stellenbosch, and American husband-and-wife team, winemaking consultant and viticulturist respectively, Zelma Long and Dr. Phil Freese, who had previously worked together at Mondavi in California. Thus it was a joint venture which augured well from the start, and in 2021 Vilafonté was named Outstanding Producer of the Year by the International Wine and Spirit Competition.

It was established in 1996, with densely planted Paarl vineyards developed and expanded since, with malbec, first planted 'almost as an afterthought' becoming increasingly important. The dedicated red wine boutique cellar is on the outskirts of Stellenbosch and designed specifically for Bordeaux varietals. The name comes from the name of the soil type – vilafontes – the oldest documented soil type in the world.

Production focused initially on two red wines: 'C' Series, a cabernet-based Bordeaux blend, and 'M' Series, originally merlot-focused, now merlot and malbec, the proportions of each varying according to the vintage. No expense is spared at the production end, with Series C and M bottles individually wrapped and dressed with informative bottle collars. Modest stocks of each vintage are being held back for 'museum' release, a further sign of the commitment to both quality and reputation at this impressive southern hemisphere venture. An earlier-drinking red blend, Seriously Old Dirt, playing on the US use of the word dirt for earth or soil, was introduced from the 2012 vintage using off-cuts from the two flagship reds. Production has grown significantly and SOD now benefits from its own dedicated winemaking team.