Vilafonte Series C 2011
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Somm Note
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Decanting before serving is recommended for any wine of advanced complexity.
Blend: 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 14% Malbec, 9% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Very dense, with a loamy hint backing the core of licorice snap, black currant paste and warm fig fruit. This shows ample grip but remains polished and integrated, while espresso and black tea accents fill out the finish. Impressive. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc.
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Wine Enthusiast
A blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 14% Malbec and 9% Cabernet Franc, this opens with rich, decadent scents of brandied cherries, blackberries, plum and crème de cassis, all married to assertive notes of black pepper, licorice and tree bark. Structured yet fine-grain tannins result in an approachable palate and a texture like crushed satin, while the finish offers accents of cigar box and roasted cocoa nib. Drinkable now, but will hold well through 2020.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 Series C was apparently the shortest vintage in history with warm days and cool nights. It is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% merlot, 14% Malbec and 9% Cabernet Franc, aged for 22 months in new and used barrels. There is a tangible “coolness” on the nose: not as intense of as exuberant as the previous two vintages, but replete with fine blackberry, autumn leave and mineral scents, suggesting a higher percentage of Cabernet than there actually is. The palate is medium-bodied with a supple entry. This is rounded and smooth with greater depth that the nose suggests. Here the Merlot plays a more conspicuous role than on the nose, fleshing and rounding out the finish that is harmonious and long. Very fine.
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Zelma Long is Head Winemaker for the Vilafonté project. Zelma is one of America's best known winemakers. One of the first women to study enology and viticulture at U.C. Davis, she began her winemaking career at Robert Mondavi Winery, rapidly working into the Chief Winemaker position.
Vilafonté's General Manager is Michael Ratcliffe. Mike qualified as a business major before attending the University of Adelaide. Mike is Managing Director of his family estate, Warwick which is recognized as one of South Africa's foremost wine estates.
Phil Freese is head 'wine-grower' and creator of the Vilafonté vineyard which he calls "Different by Design". Phil spent 13 years as Robert Mondavi’s Vice-President of Wine Growing. Phil designed the first Opus One vineyards, and initiated the remote sensing project with NASA that has spawned a new wave of tools for viticulture analysis and quality enhancement.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
With an important wine renaissance in full swing, impressive red and white bargains abound in South Africa. The country has a particularly long and rich history with winemaking, especially considering its status as part of the “New World.” In the mid-17th century, the lusciously sweet dessert wines of Constantia were highly prized by the European aristocracy. Since then, the South African wine industry has experienced some setbacks due to the phylloxera infestation of the late 1800s and political difficulties throughout the following century.
Today, however, South Africa is increasingly responsible for high-demand, high-quality wines—a blessing to put the country back on the international wine map. Wine production is mainly situated around Cape Town, where the climate is generally warm to hot. But the Benguela Current from Antarctica provides brisk ocean breezes necessary for steady ripening of grapes. Similarly, cooler, high-elevation vineyard sites throughout South Africa offer similar, favorable growing conditions.
South Africa’s wine zones are divided into region, then smaller districts and finally wards, but the country’s wine styles are differentiated more by grape variety than by region. Pinotage, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, is the country’s “signature” grape, responsible for red-fruit-driven, spicy, earthy reds. When Pinotage is blended with other red varieties, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah or Pinot Noir (all commonly vinified alone as well), it is often labeled as a “Cape Blend.” Chenin Blanc (locally known as “Steen”) dominates white wine production, with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc following close behind.