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News
The dry and windy start to spring in September 2012 produced tell-tale weather patterns for a great 2013 vintage. Our locality on the northern Simonsberg bench managed to side step the devastating winds that later that year wreaked havoc through many vineyards in Stellenbosch. Weather leading to harvest ranged from mild to very warm, allowing our grapes to reach full even phenolic ripeness with ease.
With proper cellaring, series m 2013 will continue to develop its bouquet and palate for at least a decade and will continue to give pleasure for many more years. Decanting before serving is recommended
Wine Description
The Story
Deep red and black fruit leads this Malbec driven vintage of the series m. A nose of blackberries, black cherries, raspberry and beef bouillon is followed by balsamic, dried owers and chocolate with a beautiful perfume undertone. The palate is soft and inviting with good weight and composure.
Malbec (45%) gives series m its suppleness and deep black fruit avors; Merlot (34%) provides a complex of red fruit aromas of raspberry, red cherry and plum, while Cabernet (21%) grounds the series m with structure and density.
The series m matured for twenty months in French oak barrels, seventeen percent of them new, and then a year in bottle. Cellaring this wine for two years will enhance integration and avour complexity and will reward the collector.
Wine Information
Vilafonté is the first American and South African joint wine-making venture. This ground-breaking red wine project is a partnership between a respected group of wine specialists from South Africa (Mike Ratcliffe) and the United States (Zelma Long and Dr. Phil Freese). The name Vilafonté is derived from the primary soil type of the 100-acre estate. Recorded as one of the oldest soil types in the world (somewhere between 750 000 and 1.5mil years old), this character forms the foundation of these wines The age of the soil is important as it is deeply evolved and has been stripped of much of its inherent capacity, that encourages smaller vines, lower yields and highly concentrated fruit.