Vilafonte

South Africa

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.