Seriously Old Dirt Merlot Blend

This wine comes from their young vines according to Sophia Hawkins who does their sales & marketing. She also mentioned this vineyards’s soil structure is also the oldest recorded on the planet. Please note, “Recorded”.

The nose shows, freshness, opulence & has sex appeal. Fruits are; ripe, lush, slightly candied and quite floral. Mixed red & dark berries. Blackberries, dark cherries, blueberries, dark cherries and ripe juice strawberries. Red fruit liqueur & cola, vanilla, sweet, medium intensity, dark spice, tobacco with ash, dark, rich soils, soft alluvial soil with bright, red, dark, blue & violet florals.

The body is round, full lush and elegant. The firm, meaty, dark, tarry, chewy tannins. For vines so young, the fruit is amazingly ripe & delicious. The florals are straight up beautiful. Blackberries, dark cherries, blueberries, dark cherries and ripe juice strawberries. Red fruit liqueur & cola, vanilla, sweet, medium intensity, dark spice, herbaceous notes, tobacco with ash, dark, rich soils, soft alluvial soil, dark crushed rocks, dark penetrating minerals with bright, red, dark, blue & violet florals. The acidity is near perfect. The long finish starts; ripe, juicy and on the long set brings the dry stone minerals. While this drinks beautifully now, wait for even better things in five years. 92 now with a chance of a couple more points.

I really enjoyed their wines quite a lot. Both the noses and palates.

Photos of; their vineyard during harvest, the granite soil structure of their vineyard, Our host, Sophia Hawkins and their Cellar Door facilities.

Vilafonté Seriously Old Dirt 2012

Good wine. Didn't have it at the right temperature but it had good potential. Deep, blackberries, noticeable tanins..

Maybe it was the long day or maybe the wine is just that good. Either way this hit the spot!

Amazing Cabernet. It’s rich, spicy, and lush.

Decanted for an hour…needed the full hour. Full bodied, medium tannins, red cherry, fairly dry. Just delicious

With Andrew. More Cab than Merlot.

Malbec 37%, Merlot 36%, Cabernet Sauvignon 26%, Cab Franc 1%
“Scents of Black and red cherry, Cassis, violet, sweet tobacco, graphite, ground coffee, cacao nibs, and dusty earth carry over to the full bodied palate. Tannins are silky and fine-grained… - Ian Cauble-Master sommelier, SommSelect

An old favourite👌🏿

Seriously delicious Bordeaux blend from Paarl District, within the Western Cape and Coastal Region, of South Africa 🇿🇦 , produced by Vilafonté @vilafonte

This wine represents a blend of Malbec (37%), Merlot (36%), Cabernet Sauvignon (26%), and Cabernet Franc (1%).

👁 It is deep ruby with garnet rim variation. 👃 👄 It's fresh, plush, and ripe in its fruit expression which includes notes of blackberry, plum, dried cherries, and fig. It offers some vegetal and herbal influences such as bell pepper, freshly cut grass, wet earth; also secondary notes of vanilla, caramel, molasses, oak, sweet baking spices, and some tertiary notes of tobacco. It is dry, with medium acidity, medium(+) body, medium alcohol (13.5%), and high tannins. It has a medium(+) finish.

I'm excited about this wine and eager to further explore this producer and region of South Africa.

Cheers to wine travel!

Vilafonté, Seriously Old Dirt, Red Blend, Paarl, 2017, 13.5% ABV.