Vilafonte Series M 2013
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Malbec (45%) gives series m its suppleness and deep black fruit flavors; Merlot (34%) provides red fruit aromas of raspberry, red cherry and plum, while Cabernet (21%) grounds the series m with structure and density.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is a wine that shows an ethereal smokiness as well as herbs, oyster shell, jasmine and sweet spices. Sweet blackberry fruit. The palate is velvety and so elegant, mingling between peppery charcuterie and freshly picked forest fruits. Wonderful now. A blend of 45% malbec, 34% merlot and 21% cabernet. Why wait?
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Matured for 20 months in 17% new oak—the sixth year in the row that the leading grape variety has alternated. Great detail and fi ne mineralité developing on the nose with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with the Malbec very expressive and lending to Argentinean fl air. Good structure, touches of spice sprinkled over the finish.
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Wine Spectator
Solidly ripe, with a core of dark boysenberry and fig fruit flavors coursing through, inlaid with anise and black tea details and backed by a singed alder note. Stays very polished in feel overall, with nice length and definition. Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2019
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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.