It has been a wonderful time in the Vilafonté winery and vineyards and
we now enter into a post-harvest calm period. We are happy to report that the
2012 vintage has been perhaps the highlight of the past decade and we have
achieved a continuation of our ever-improving quality. This is quite impressive
after a string of four vintages since 2009 that have potential for greatness.
We keep raising our own standards and the results are very satisfying. The 2012
harvest can be characterised by a couple of key quality indicators.
The first indicator, berry size, indicated that we had larger berries
than our statistical average. This has resulted in lush, pretty wines that will
have lower tannin levels than many of our previous vintages. The 2012 vintage
is ‘showy’ and produced impressive wines that will please many critics, but
will perhaps not have the longevity of the spectacular 2009 vintage. Many
members have stocked up on the 2009 specifically because of its above average
ageing potential. The larger berry size contributed to an increased yield of
high quality juice, despite the fact that we barely produced 3 tons per hectare
– an incredibly low yield by any industry standards.
A second characteristic of the 2012 harvest was a much later harvest
date than usual. This is a consequence of unusually cool ripening conditions
that allowed the vines to reach phenological ripeness at a slow measured pace.
These ripening conditions were absolutely ideal, despite an unseasonal heat
wave in early January, which caused many wineries such damage. We would be
delighted if we could get these conditions every year. In 2012 we finally
commenced harvest on Valentines Day February 14th, well ahead of the
rest of the industry, as is our norm, but unusually 2 weeks behind our average
harvest commencement date.
In general, we can report that we have had excellent results and we feel
that the vintage will produce some ‘show-stoppers’. The 2012 vintage will now
remain in barrel for another 2 years allowing our wines to continue their
development into the bottle and for release in about 2014.
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| our soil-type is called 'vilafontes' |
Included in this newsletter is a photograph, which epitomises what Vilafonté
is all about. This simple image, taken during harvest 2012, is an image of Vineyard
Manager Edward Pietersen with a handful of our precious vilafontes soil – the very essence of what our wines are all about.
The ‘heart’ connection with our Valentines Day harvest date is entirely
coincidental.
Our wine club continues its measured growth and we have many new
developments in the pipeline including newly upgraded wine packaging, a winter
mixed case vertical offer and a brand new club website. We have planned a
number of discrete member-only events across the country, which we will be communicating
separately. Thank you to so many of you for having recommended friends and
colleagues for membership. While we cannot accept all applications, we will
always strive to accommodate referrals.
Vilafonté Wine Club Manager, Sophia Hawkins is committed to engaging
with our members exclusively. Her details remain Sophia@vilafonte.com and her direct-dial
phone is 021-8864083. Remember, no request is too much trouble.
While the Vilafonté
winery is not open to the general public, I would like to personally ensure you
that as a wine club member, we will always welcome you with open arms. Let us
know when you are in Stellenbosch.
Thank you for your
support and your engagement.
Mike Ratcliffe
Managing Partner
