2011 Vilafonte Series C x 3 bottles 750ml

Estimate

R3,000 - R6,000

Hammer

R3,000

2011 Vilafonte Series C x 3 bottles 750ml

More Information

PLEASE NOTE THIS WINE IS IN JOHANNESBURG
On the Paarl side of the Simonsberg mountain, Vilafonté was founded in 1996 and their first release was the stellar 2003 vintage. The company was co-founded in 1997 by local Mike Ratcliffe and Californian natives Zelma Long and Phil Freese. Meticulous viticulture and modern cellar practices ensured that Vilafonté was at the cutting-edge of fine wine. The Merlot and Malbec dominated Series M offers more spice and flair, while the Cabernet Sauvignon based Series C is serious and more structured. Maiden vintages offer perfectly mature, poised wines almost two decades down the line and Series C and M are of the highest scoring Bordeaux-style reds in South wines. Today Vilafonté is South Africa’s most luxurious red wine brand.

The Series C 2011 is one of the most concentrated wines Vilafonté has grown, with a deep black colour & an expressive nose; leading with currants, crème de cassis, liquorice and graphite. This vintage has equal parts preserved black fruits and minerals, & beautiful espresso roast and mocha from well-integrated oak. The wine has weight and power, yet with a majestic richness, great fruit purity and incredible elegance. The Series C 2011 will reward both as a young wine and in the future, as it matures in cellar. Twenty-two months in eighty-seven percent new French oak barriques, with the balance in older French oak. Series C 2011 consists of fifty-one percent Cabernet Sauvignon, twenty-six percent Merlot, fourteen percent Malbec and nine percent Cabernet Franc.

'The 2011 Series C was apparently the shortest vintage in history with warm days and cool nights. It is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% merlot, 14% Malbec and 9% Cabernet Franc, aged for 22 months in new and used barrels. There is a tangible “coolness” on the nose: not as intense of as exuberant as the previous two vintages, but replete with fine blackberry, autumn leave and mineral scents, suggesting a higher percentage of Cabernet than there actually is. The palate is medium-bodied with a supple entry. This is rounded and smooth with greater depth that the nose suggests. Here the Merlot plays a more conspicuous role than on the nose, fleshing and rounding out the finish that is harmonious and long. Very fine.' – Neal Martin, Wine Advocate 92/100

Wine Spectator 93/100
Platter’s SA Wine Guide 2015, 5 Stars