THE STORY of Vilafonté has much to do with the brand, the positioning and marketing thereof. Front and centre though is a commitment to quality and a style that can “stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the great wines of the world”. This is one of South Africa’s leading luxury wines, but not the smoke and mirrors variety. Here the degree of confidence is such that the proprietors have nothing to hide, happy for critics to review their wines both with the labels in view and at blind-tastings where the identity of the wine and the producer as well as any info pertaining to the origin of the grapes or location of the cellar is withheld from the panel.

The level of Vilafonté’s success has hardly been an overnight phenomenon, but rather the result of decades’ work in the Paarl vineyard, in the Stellenbosch cellar, by two of the founders – winemaker Zelma Long and ‘winegrower’ Phil Freese – associated with some of the greatest wine estates in California, and by Mike Ratcliffe, the managing partner. Investment over the years has not resulted in a showpiece destination. “We are closed to the public and always have been,” comments Ratcliffe. “We don’t have a tourist facility or restaurant or even a manicured avenue of oak trees… Stellenbosch is a rich wine tourism destination, but not an area in which we choose to compete.” That from a man who chairs the town’s wine route association, spends a considerable amount of time encouraging people to ‘Visit Stellenbosch’ and whose family developed Warwick Estate into one of the district’s popular landmarks before letting go to American buyers.

The focus at Vilafonté is on red blends involving the Bordeaux grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. The very first (2003) vintage of Vilafonté’s Cab-led ‘Series C’ and Merlot-led ‘Series M’ were Highly Recommended in Platter’s SA Wine Guide. Thereafter the wines continued to receive glowing reviews from Platter’s team of critics, although lately it’s been in the global arena that Vilafonté has shone particularly brightly. The 2016 Series C and 2017 Series M won a trophy at the Six Nations Wine Challenge in Australia and a gold medal at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) in the UK respectively. More impressive perhaps is how the wines have evolved after time in the bottle, developing into beauties that the Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers judging at IWSC 2021 scored highly again and again… and again!

Winner of the 2021 IWSC trophies for Red Wine Producer of the Year and Outstanding Wine Producer of the Year. A world champion, you could say. No product trophies, surprisingly, but gold medals for the 2014, 2012 and 2007 vintages of Series C, plus gold medals for the 2017 and 2014 vintages of Series M. Not only a good reason to cellar some of one’s Vilafonté purchases to enjoy down the line, but also mature wines to look forward to from the team. “The maturation of older vintages has always been part of our DNA,” says Ratcliffe. “We hold back 15 to 25% of every vintage and it is very carefully curated. For example, in 2022 we are re-releasing the 2013 vintage around the world, which is a big deal for us – and highly unusual for an SA winery. Why the 2013? The wines are coming into their own and providing additional layers of interest. They are also becoming rare.”