Vilafonté was crowned Outstanding Wine Producer of the Year and Red Wine Producer of the Year 2021 by the International Wine&Spirit Competition. That's some recommendation to try this wine from them. But if you need more… 94 points,"Exciting flavours of sweet mulberry, black plum, cinnamon and cedar. Super fresh and elegant, concentrated yet light on its feet."- Decanter World Wine Awards Greg Sherwood is a Master of Wine and a highly respected expert in the wines of South Africa, so when he says that this is"a great wine for the savvy fine wine drinker", it's worth taking notice. He goes on to explain that"the success and popularity of the Seriously Old Dirt label by Vilafonté has undoubtedly been one of the most significant success stories within the South African wine industry over the past 5 years."Seriously Old Dirt is the sought-after second wine from Vilafonté. It reminds us of another South African classic, Chocolate Block from Boekenhoutskloof, and it's garnering a similar cult following. The difference is that the grapes come from Stellenbosch and Paarl and the team behind it bring a wealth of experience from California. A vegan-friendly blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc that has been matured in older French oak barriques for 18 months, Seriously Old Dirt has the feel of silk, and flavours of crème de cassis, black cherry, blueberry muffin, plum crumble, graphite, cedar, Chinese five spice, cream, salted liquorice and something foresty, almost like bark and brambles. New to the Harvey Nichols range, this is not to be missed and we recommend serving it with something rich and herby, like roast lamb. Founded in 1997 on the bench of the Simonsberg Mountains, Vilafonté takes its name from the unique vilafontes soils, one of the oldest documented types of soil on the planet. These ancient soils have been dated to somewhere between 750,000 to 1.5 million years old, hence the name'Seriously Old Dirt'. The wines that come from them are a masterclass in purity and refinement. The team of visionaries behind Vilafonté is as unique as that soil, comprising Mike Ratcliffe (an innovator and international wine judge), Zelma Long (formerly the Chief Winemaker at Robert Mondavi Winery), and Dr Phil Freese (who spent 13 years growing vines at Robert Mondavi, helped to design the first Opus One vineyard and has consulted for the likes of Cakebread, Far Niente, Seghesio, Warwick and Rustenburg). With CVs and terroir like that, this is a winery to keep a careful eye on.£3.93 per 100.00ml