Series M 2021: Mysterious & Potent. 96 Points The Wine Advocate: The 2021 Series M is Merlot dominant with 35% Malbec, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc. With a release date set in May of 2024, this beauty was just bottled and is already instantly impressive! It has a velvety nature that captures a beautiful wine with a compact frame, delivering immense pleasure. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is balanced, fresh and succulent, with a firm tannic grip. It needs more time, which is understandable in its youthful, unreleased state. Possessing gobs of complexity with a sturdy frame, this beauty ends with a long, spicy, incredibly food-friendly finish. Just over 22,000 bottles were filled after the wine rested for 22 months in French barrique, 26% new. (Drinking 2026 – 2045)
A masterpiece. The Series M 2021 is enticingly dense with complex and exotic aromas and rich with flavour, owing to the Merlot and Malbec components that define this blend. It presents an opaque purple-black hue, with little variation from its centre to the glass’s edge. As it unwinds in the glass, savoury charcuterie and sweet baking spices give way to fragrant, zesty bergamot and jasmine tea. Seductively well-articulated fruit notes of ripe mulberry, blackberry and red currants are complemented by hints of star anise and dried mandarin rind. A subtle underlying ferrous tone of intrigue. The palate is beautifully round and effortlessly long. A texture reminiscent of crushed velvet envelops the senses, revealing a pleasurable structure, abundant yet precise power, and a supple, mouth-coating quality. Gorgeous umami flavours of Parma ham harmonize seamlessly with a saline minerality, culminating in an intense, fruit-driven finish. While the 2021 Series M is already complete in its youth, this blend will reward those who exercise patience, as it continues to evolve and develop complexity. Enjoy now or cellar for two decades or more.
The Vintage: Truly stellar. Ample rains followed an unusually cold and wet spring which continued into early summer, leading to larger vine canopies and requiring additional inputs to manage vigorous growth. Flowering was largely even, with good fruit-set, boding well for an abundant crop. Early growing season temperatures were cool to moderate, warming gradually toward ripening. Noteworthy was the lack of heatwaves normally experienced in February and March. This meant that water resources were less strained and bunches saw little to no sunburn. We were excited by flavours while tasting for harvest decision-making. Berries were supple-skinned, bursting with flavour, vibrant freshness and a bold tannin structure. Harvest began on February 11th ,only 3 days later than usual, and we wereblessed with mild weather for the remainder of the season. Wines of the vintage are intensely coloured and show a sophisticated poise and gravitas.
The Blend: Twenty-two months in twenty-six percent new French oak barrique, with the balance in older French oak. Series M 2021 consists of Merlot (forty-one), Malbec (thirty-five percent), Cabernet Sauvignon (seventeen percent) and Cabernet Franc (seven percent). Seventy-eight barrels were produced..
Vilafonté is the coming together of great wine experience from California and South Africa. The vision that brought together the three founding Vilafonté partners, is the culmination of a life-long dream. An uncompromising determination to produce wines which stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the great wines of the world. Nothing less.
Our enduring philosophy is of nurturing a culture of patience in the cellaring and enjoyment of our wines – an artistry to create wines of elegant complexity, structure and longevity. Founded in 1997, the 42ha property 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 Series M and Series C are exclusively from grapes grown on our property.
Although there is much variation in the climate of the Western Cape, the biggest influence on wine growing in South Africa is the presence of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The cooling maritime influence has created what can be described as a Mediterranean climate. Wet and cold winters paired with long dry summers create an extremely favourable environment for the production of fine wine.
