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There’s a saying, applicable as much in business as in life, that you should “start as you mean to go on”.
In other words, if you want to be known for greatness, set the bar there from the start and deliver at that level from the get-go, stay true to your original intention, and pursue it with focus and consistency.
This approach encapsulates the story of Vilafonté, a vineyard in Paarl designed from inception 25 years ago by co-founder Mike Ratcliffe and American partners, leading winemaker Zelma Long and renowned viticulturist Phil Freese, to make just one wine — an ultra-premium, luxurious, ageable South African wine that could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the great wines of the world.
The intention being a wine judged not by awards but benchmarked against, and competing in, the international investment-grade wine market — a status held by fewer than 1% of the world’s wines.
The concept of “by design” often comes up in conversation with Ratcliffe and the Vilafonté team, because everything they do — from the planting of the vineyards on virgin land, the meticulous scientific approach to grape selection, innovation in precision irrigation, to the winemaking and maturation, and even the marketing — is driven by that singular vision.
Vilafonté seldom deviates from course; the only shift in the early years being that the vision for one great wine became two, because the vineyards delivered two very distinct blends, although both founded on cabernet sauvignon.
Thus was born the Cab-led Series C, and Series M with merlot and Malbec in the lead, both Bordeaux-style blends, but not pretending to be anything other than greatly South African.
It says something about that sharp focus that it took a further 10 years for the winery to launch its next new development, the creation of Seriously Old Dirt, a “second wine” in the Bordeaux tradition, or, as Vilafonté likes to call it, “everyday luxury”.
And then more than a decade before they did something new again, with the release last year of Seriously Old Dirt in magnums.
Thus, “News from Vilafonté” in the inbox this week obviously piqued the interest, but it wasn’t a new wine on the market; rather the announcement of the re-release of the 2012 vintages of Series C and Series M — the 10th vintage of Vilafonté “reawakened” after the bottles having spent a decade developing in the cellar.
“The 2012 harvest was an exemplary vintage — a quiet promise held in the balance of nature and nurture,” says Ratcliffe.
“Today, one decade since their first release, the wines’ prolonged slumber in the stillness of our vinothèque has imbued them with a depth and nuance that only time can bestow.
“They return now, having evolved into wines of unparalleled elegance; richer, more resolved, and confidently whispering their tale of the art of time.”
A recent tasting of the current, 2022, vintages of Series C and Series M illustrated their depth of quality and ageing potential.
Series C, the bolder of the two, classic cassis, blackberry, blue and black dense, sweet fruit complemented by fine dark chocolate, a touch of smokiness. Understated elegance, silky smooth, lean with a lasting, generous finish.
Series M again proved my personal favourite — lush and velvety, rich aromatics, clean red fruit purity, with touches of exotic spices and savouriness. It is just a beautiful wine to be savoured, living up to its “immersive and engaging” tagline.
Although C is always led by cabernet sauvignon and M by merlot and Malbec, there is no set formula for the blends, rather a focus on consistency of style, and each vintage has its own personality, captured by winemaker Chris de Vries in a two-word tagline — “confident and contemplative” for Series C 2022, versus “supple and delicious” for 2012.
Getting down to brass tacks, these are wines for the serious wine lover, investor or collector — the re-released 2012 Series C is R4,000 a bottle and Series M R2,300. Order online at https://www.vilafonte.com/collection/current-vintage/#2012.
Or get in on the ground floor of wine investment, with the current 2022 vintages available at Preston’s Main Road at R2,000 and R1,300 respectively; similarly priced at selected Tops at SPAR.
Me? I’ll be celebrating the beauty of Vilafonté with some everyday luxury (Seriously Old Dirt, R250) — a “second wine” but very much first-class.
The Herald
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