Vilafonte Seriously Old Dirt
£25.00
£33.33 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
Only 4 bottles left
91Tim Atkin
90Decanter
92Wine & Spirits
Want to taste what world-class South African terroir does without the world-class price tag? This is your wine. A Cabernet-led Stellenbosch blend from Vilafonte, the celebrated Cape-meets-California partnership, it pours bold dark fruit and graphite poise into a glass that punches well above £25. Pure ancient soil, beautifully judged.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
Our Verdict
We listed this because it does something rare: it bottles the DNA of one of South Africa's most respected estates and sells it for the price of a decent weeknight bottle. Tasted blind against pricier Stellenbosch Cabernet blends, it held its own with ease, all graphite poise and dark-fruit confidence, and it has the scores to back it up. Perfect for the curious drinker who wants genuine class without the splurge, or anyone building confidence in Cape reds. We only get a few cases, and at this price they never hang around long.
Tasting Notes
A Cabernet-led blend with real presence. The nose leads with blackcurrant and dark plum, lifted by cedar and a savoury, earthy undertow that suits a wine named for its soil. The palate is generous but composed: ripe black fruit wrapped in fine-grained tannins, a thread of graphite minerality, and a gentle spice from oak ageing that adds warmth without masking the fruit. It finishes long and firm, with enough grip to age yet enough polish to enjoy now.
About This Wine
Here is a wine that lets you drink at a serious estate's table without paying serious estate prices. Seriously Old Dirt is Vilafonte's accessible expression, conceived in the classic Bordeaux tradition of a second wine: built from the same ancient Western Cape soils, the same obsessive vineyard work, just released younger and more giving. And Vilafonte is no ordinary address. It was born from a meeting of minds between South African Michael Ratcliffe and two Californian heavyweights, Dr Zelma Long and Dr Phil Freese, whose CVs read like a who's who of fine wine. That pedigree shows. This is a Cabernet Sauvignon-led blend with dark plum, blackcurrant and cigar-box spice, a savoury graphite edge, and tannins that are firm but polished rather than chewy. Power and approachability, held in genuine balance. It drinks beautifully now, with the structure to reward another five to eight years in a cool cupboard if you would rather wait. Either way, give it a slow-roasted lamb shoulder, a rare ribeye, or a board of mature Cape and Cheddar cheeses and watch it come alive. It also makes a quietly impressive gift, especially for anyone who loves Bordeaux or misses the Cape. We ship it to your door anywhere in the UK, usually within a few days.
Food Pairing
This wants something rich and savoury alongside. A slow-roasted lamb shoulder studded with rosemary and garlic is the natural match, the wine's tannins cutting through the fat beautifully. It also shines next to a Sunday roast of beef with all the trimmings, a venison casserole, or a board of mature Cheddar and aged Gouda after dinner.
- —Slow-roasted lamb shoulder with rosemary and garlic
- —Roast beef with Yorkshire puddings and gravy
- —Venison and red wine casserole
- —Grilled ribeye steak with peppercorn sauce
- —Mature Cheddar and aged Gouda with quince paste
How to Serve
Decanting
Give this an hour in a decanter. The tannins soften with air and the savoury, earthy depth and dark fruit emerge more fully, especially on younger bottles.
Behind the Wine
Stellenbosch does the hard work for this wine before it ever reaches the cellar. Warm, sun-filled days ripen Cabernet Sauvignon fully, while cooling air drifting in from False Bay slows things down at night, holding on to freshness and firm tannin. Vilafonte's team farm with a close eye on these old vineyard sites, picking for balance rather than sheer power. The result in the glass is generous dark fruit framed by structure that keeps everything in check.
Ageing Potential
Built to drink young and already a pleasure on release, but the structure is there to reward patience. Expect it to hold and develop over roughly five to eight years, the fruit softening and the savoury, earthy notes gaining complexity.
The Land
The name says it plainly: it is all about the dirt. These are some of the oldest viticultural soils on earth, weathered Western Cape ground that has had millennia to break down into something deep, complex and low in vigour. Old, poor soils make vines work harder and concentrate their fruit, lending this blend its savoury depth and grippy, mineral-edged structure.
The Winemaking
This is the Bordeaux idea of a second wine done properly: Cabernet Sauvignon takes the lead, with blending partners brought in to add flesh, perfume and approachability. The selection draws on estate fruit alongside other ancient Western Cape sites, with everything assembled to drink beautifully early while keeping enough backbone to reward a few years in the rack. The aim is power you can actually open tonight, polished rather than heavy, fruit and structure working together rather than competing.
About the Producer
Vilafonte
Vilafonte began as a friendship and a bold question: could Africa's oldest soils make a wine to stand with the world's best? The answer came from an unusual transatlantic partnership. South Africa's Michael Ratcliffe joined forces with two Californian heavyweights, Dr Zelma Long, once of Mondavi and Simi, and Dr Phil Freese, formerly of Opus One. Decades of Cape and Napa know-how poured into one Stellenbosch vineyard. Today winegrower Marko Roux tends the sites and winemaker Arlene Mains shapes the wines. Seriously Old Dirt is their everyday calling card, the easygoing introduction to a seriously serious project.