Vilafonte Series C 2005
Vineyards
Vilafonte, Paarl
Winemaking and Maturation
Twenty two months in sixty seven percent new French oak barriques, with a balance of older French oak. Series C 2005 consists of:
- Cabernet Sauvignon (sixty six percent)
- Merlot (twenty two percent)
- Cabernet Franc (six percent)
- Malbec (six percent).
Forty five barrels were produced.
Tasting Notes
Vilafonte Series C 2005 displays deeply wound aromatics. Time in the glass shows sweet and sensuous black fruit in the nose. Very expressive, with French oak underlying the fruit rather than dominating it. The wine is very young aromatically, exhibiting intense fruit. Typically, 1-2 years from release the wine will start revealing its inherent complexity.
Stylistically the C is reminiscent of the 2003 vintage, and shows a significant level of ripe tannin, silkier in texture than the 2003 vintage was. Flavours of chocolate, almost a sense of liquid blackberries, come in the mid and end of the palate, balanced against some firm tannins. Long finish of fruit. Series C will fit well now with intense flavoured red meat and game; yet will reward hugely a cellaring period of 1-2 years, show additional development over 8 years, then likely hold for another 10 years.
Technical Details
The combination of Cabernets (Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc) at 72% of the blend, with the smaller grapes of this vintage, is giving the tight structured foundation to Series C, making it a very powerful vintage of this Series. Windy weather and normal cycles of warm and cool weather leading up to the Cabernet harvest. Warm and humid weather during the harvest, then cloudy and cool, and continued cool until we were finished.
Merlot 22% Malbec 6% Cabernet Sauvignon 66% Cabernet franc 6% Alcohol 14.0%
Nr of barrels: 45 Aging: 18 Months in French oak barrels.
Only 1 of 2 5 Litre bottles ever released
