Vilafonté Series C and Series M 2015 in Magnum

2015 was an exceptional vintage year for wine internationally, and for South Africa, it was one of the greatest vintage years in winemaking history. Vilafonté invites you to relive this greatness in a limited release of the Series C and Series M in Magnum.

Mike Ratcliffe is co-founder and Managing Partner of Vilafonté: “As part of our annual tradition, we are releasing Magnums from our vintage library.

The Vilafonté reputation has been built on producing wines with a propensity to age gracefully and appreciate discernibly in quality. In the rarefied atmosphere of fine wine, it is often decades before an opinion can truly be ventured. We remain cognizant that true greatness really does take time.”

Presenting our 2015 vintage in Magnum

“Our 25-year journey of discovery in our specific vilafontes terroir underpins the potential of the 2015 vintage. A year universally recognised for greatness. The 2015 vintage produced wines of powerful elegance – likely to enhance the cellars of members and collectors alike. Collectible and distinctive, a limited number of Vilafonté Magnums of both Series M and Series C will now be released. Strictly limited to one Magnum per client, delivery to commence from 1st September.

Each bottle will be hand-labelled, placed in a designed case and engraved with your name. We invite you to register your interest in this historical release, confident that your expectations will be rewarded.

Our core philosophy that ‘greatness cannot be rushed’ endures.”

Do not miss this rare opportunity. Register your interest here.

Series C 2015 – Nuanced & Scintillating

Series C 2015 shows great depth of colour and an impressive red-black to the rim. An intriguing nose opens with generous layers of dark fruit, attractive cassis and French lavender perfume. Finally, notes of pencil shavings, cacao and cedar elevate the complexity of this blend. On the palate, Series C shows poise, with silky and seamless integration of tannins, refreshing mid-palate acidity with rich fruit and caramelized woody flavours that have great length. This wine exemplifies both freshness and concentration of fruit with great potential to mature and evolve over the next decade or more.

The Vintage

Harvest was very early, two weeks earlier than the previous year, starting on the 30th of January. Conditions leading up to ripening were warm and clear with no exceptionally hot spells – perfect weather. The shorter period from bloom to picking, as well as the warm but moderate temperatures, meant the berries arrived at the cellar in very good condition with very low rates of discard during individual berry sorting. Higher acidities characterize the wines of the vintage. This leads to great freshness, exceptional colour and seamless core structure. Varietal wines were very expressive, and the blend came together in harmony.

The Blend

Twenty-two months in 67% new French oak barriques, with a balance of older French oak. Series C 2015 blends Cabernet Sauvignon (57%), Merlot (19%), Cabernet Franc (15%) and Malbec (9%). Vilafonté produced 44 barrels.

Series M 2015 – Rich & Evocative

The Series M 2015 exhibits plummy hues with an inky red-black colour. The wine leads with rich fruit characters of red plums, cherries and blueberry confit. Overtones of thyme as well as sage lead to a more savoury beef bouillon note, perfectly offset by warm and enticing hints of chocolate, oak and brioche.

Oak aromas are well integrated. They support a rich core of concentrated fruit and Peony floral notes. Series M opens with succulent richness on the palate, with a fleshy, mouth-watering core, finally leading to exceptional concentration and length of fruit on the finish. It shows both finesse and intensity, eliciting plushness on the palate. The Series M 2015 will reward the investor both as a young wine and over the next decade or more.

The Vintage

As with Series C, the Series M harvest was very early, two weeks earlier than the previous year, starting on the 30th of January 2015. Conditions leading up to ripening were warm and clear. The shorter period from bloom to picking, as well as the warm but moderate weather, meant the berries arrived at the cellar in very good condition, with very low rates of discard during individual berry sorting. Wines of the vintage were characterized by higher acidities, leading to great freshness, exceptional colour and balanced structure. Varietal wines were very expressive, and the blends came together harmoniously.

The Blend

Twenty-two months in 18% new French oak barriques, with the balance being older French oak. Series M 2015 blends Merlot (40%), Cabernet Sauvignon (31%) and Malbec (29%). Vilafonté produced 68 barrels.

For more information, visit www.vilafonte.com.