2020 Vilafonte, Seriously Old Dirt, 6x750ml
2020 Vilafonte, Seriously Old Dirt, 6x750ml
This Cabernet-based blend exudes rich layers of fresh fruit
This Cabernet-based blend exudes rich layers of fresh fruit
Availability: 6 weeks
Case size: 6 / Bottle size: 750ml
Duty Status
From £115.00
Critics Score: 92
Publication: Greg Sherwood MW
This is another serious effort from the Vilafonte team after last year’s award winning 2019 release. The 2020 blend consists of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 4% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc and was matured for 18 months in older French oak barriques. Moving more towards a distinctly Cabernet Sauvignon dominated blend compared to earlier editions which often featured more Merlot and Malbec, this rich ruby red coloured wine shows all the classic aromatics of black currant, strawberry shortbread, gingerbread cookie dough, cherry tobacco and hints of vanilla pod spice. Always a wine that unashamedly aspires to a higher, more hedonistic mantra, like the 2019, this 2020 exhibits a supremely well-honed, polished, elegant textural mouthfeel with effortlessly friendly tannins, an intense but weightless black and red berry fruit concentration and a plush, long, tightly focused finished. Knowing that this wine traditionally holds a lot of secrets, I reviewed it over two consecutive night’s tasting but came to the same conclusion in the end – that this is yet another very polished wine with ageworthy credentials that will appeal to seasoned collectors and the man in the street alike. A serious wine that is also seriously delicious! Drink from release and over the next 10 to 15 years.
The Vintage
Covid-19 and a year of frsts. When confronted with disruptions and uncertainties, it is said one
should remain focused on the outcome, rather than the challenges themself.
The 2019/2020 growing season brought fair and favourable conditions on the whole. Post-harvest
rains in 2019 marked the onset of a wet, cold winter. With spring came warm, fair weather,
resulting in an early (two weeks earlier) and even bud-break. This saw healthy, homogeneous shoot
growth in the early season. Windy conditions during fowering led to some variability in berry set
and produced looser clusters with small berries. Temperatures during ripening were moderate and
without the usual heatwaves we have come to expect. This led to an even and measured pace in
ripening and picking. Even with the uncertainty brought by the announcement of a national
Covid-19 lockdown, on the 26th March 2020, we are grateful to have processed all wines safely to
barrel before this time. While no-one expected the global outbreak of a pandemic on this scale,
or with as far reaching ramifcations, we have remained positive, and will continue to do so, despite
a myriad of challenges faced.
Wines of the vintage exhibit poise, concentration and a restrained potency. Hallmarks intrinsic
to a future classic.
The Blend
Matured for eighteen months in older French oak barrique. Seriously Old Dirt 2020 consists of
Cabernet Sauvignon (eighty-six percent), Merlot (eight percent), Malbec (four percent) and
Cabernet Franc (two percent).
Covid-19 and a year of frsts. When confronted with disruptions and uncertainties, it is said one
should remain focused on the outcome, rather than the challenges themself.
The 2019/2020 growing season brought fair and favourable conditions on the whole. Post-harvest
rains in 2019 marked the onset of a wet, cold winter. With spring came warm, fair weather,
resulting in an early (two weeks earlier) and even bud-break. This saw healthy, homogeneous shoot
growth in the early season. Windy conditions during fowering led to some variability in berry set
and produced looser clusters with small berries. Temperatures during ripening were moderate and
without the usual heatwaves we have come to expect. This led to an even and measured pace in
ripening and picking. Even with the uncertainty brought by the announcement of a national
Covid-19 lockdown, on the 26th March 2020, we are grateful to have processed all wines safely to
barrel before this time. While no-one expected the global outbreak of a pandemic on this scale,
or with as far reaching ramifcations, we have remained positive, and will continue to do so, despite
a myriad of challenges faced.
Wines of the vintage exhibit poise, concentration and a restrained potency. Hallmarks intrinsic
to a future classic.
The Blend
Matured for eighteen months in older French oak barrique. Seriously Old Dirt 2020 consists of
Cabernet Sauvignon (eighty-six percent), Merlot (eight percent), Malbec (four percent) and
Cabernet Franc (two percent).
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