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Vilafonte Seriously Old Dirt bottle
Vilafonte
SKU 103984

2022 Vilafonte - Red Blend Paarl Seriously Old Dirt (750ml)

$31.99 - $31.99
$31.99
$31.99 - $31.99
$31.99
Availability:
12 available

2022 Vilafonté Seriously Old Dirt, Paarl (750ml)

Vilafonté is one of South Africa's most celebrated Bordeaux-focused estates, a joint venture between Paarl winemaker Mike Ratcliffe and the California duo of Zelma Long and Dr. Phil Freese — a collaboration that set out from the start to produce world-class Cabernet-driven blends from old Paarl soils. Seriously Old Dirt is their second label, but it punches well above that designation.

The 2022 is a Cabernet-dominant blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec, 2% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc, matured eighteen months in French oak. The glass reveals a dark, opaque purple-black plum colour, with bold aromatics of mint leaf, violets, crème de cassis, black cherries, dried thyme, cigar wrapper, and hints of chocolate. The mouthfeel is alluring and supple — dark blackberries, fresh peppermint, vanilla, and sweet spice lingering long on the finish, framed by mineral, graphite tannins

93 Points
"The Vilafonté 2022 Seriously Old Dirt pays homage to the wonders of South African geology based on, ahem, very old soils. These range from shale, decomposed granite, sandstone and other formations traced back one billion years and having seen little to no movement in the form of glaciation, volcanic events or earthquakes. So-called Vilafontes soils are some of the world's oldest documented soil types.

This is a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller parts Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc from older vines for structure and complexity. These latter varieties are the "salt and pepper," says Winemaker Arlene Mains. They add darker fruit, pencil shaving and petrichor over a medium-plus body with a bold and austere personality. Hand-me-down barrels used in the Series C and Series M wines are directed to this wine and represent mostly second- and third-use oak; however, some of the barrels in the program date back to 2004. The wine matures in oak for 18 months. Reddish stone soils add a salty or ferrous quality to the wine. Tobacco leaf and cigar box emerge as the wine spends more time in the glass."
—Monica Larner-Wine Advocate
Appellation: Paarl
Vintage: 2022
Region: Coastal Region
Country: South Africa
Bottle Size: 750ml
Producer: Vilafonte
Vilafonte

2022 Vilafonté Seriously Old Dirt, Paarl (750ml)

Vilafonté is one of South Africa's most celebrated Bordeaux-focused estates, a joint venture between Paarl winemaker Mike Ratcliffe and the California duo of Zelma Long and Dr. Phil Freese — a collaboration that set out from the start to produce world-class Cabernet-driven blends from old Paarl soils. Seriously Old Dirt is their second label, but it punches well above that designation.

The 2022 is a Cabernet-dominant blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec, 2% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc, matured eighteen months in French oak. The glass reveals a dark, opaque purple-black plum colour, with bold aromatics of mint leaf, violets, crème de cassis, black cherries, dried thyme, cigar wrapper, and hints of chocolate. The mouthfeel is alluring and supple — dark blackberries, fresh peppermint, vanilla, and sweet spice lingering long on the finish, framed by mineral, graphite tannins

93 Points
"The Vilafonté 2022 Seriously Old Dirt pays homage to the wonders of South African geology based on, ahem, very old soils. These range from shale, decomposed granite, sandstone and other formations traced back one billion years and having seen little to no movement in the form of glaciation, volcanic events or earthquakes. So-called Vilafontes soils are some of the world's oldest documented soil types.

This is a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller parts Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc from older vines for structure and complexity. These latter varieties are the "salt and pepper," says Winemaker Arlene Mains. They add darker fruit, pencil shaving and petrichor over a medium-plus body with a bold and austere personality. Hand-me-down barrels used in the Series C and Series M wines are directed to this wine and represent mostly second- and third-use oak; however, some of the barrels in the program date back to 2004. The wine matures in oak for 18 months. Reddish stone soils add a salty or ferrous quality to the wine. Tobacco leaf and cigar box emerge as the wine spends more time in the glass."
—Monica Larner-Wine Advocate
Appellation: Paarl
Vintage: 2022
Region: Coastal Region
Country: South Africa
Bottle Size: 750ml
Producer: Vilafonte