Series C

Please note: Award stickers are applied at the producer's discretion and may not be present on all bottles.

An abundant crop of sterling quality. Yields rose by fifty-seven percent, despite the fourth year in a sequence of below-average rainfall for the Western Cape Province. This follows Vilafonte's smallest per-hectare crop (2016) and moves back to long-term average yields. Welcome post-harvest rains in the preceding year before leaf fall, coupled with well-timed nutrient applications, allowed our vines to build up reserves before going into winter dormancy. Winter rains in 2016 approached normal levels, but fell below average in late winter to spring. Bud-break in the spring was very even, with rapid shoot growth which ceased well before bloom, allowing excellent fruit-set. Weather leading up to harvest was warm and fair - perfect ripening conditions. Harvest commenced on the 6th of February with a few short pauses, and concluded on the 1st of March. At blending, varietal wines were expressive, showing a classical elegance and restrained power - steel sheathed in velvet.

Twenty-two months in seventy percent new French oak barrique, with the balance in older French.