Vilafonté Seriously Old Dirt 2020

Covid-19 and a year of firsts. When confronted with disruptions and uncertainties, it is said one should remain focused on the outcome, rather than the challenges themself. The 2019/2020 growing season brought fair and favourable conditions on the whole. Post-harvest rains in 2019 marked the onset of a wet, cold winter. With spring came warm, fair weather, resulting in an early (two weeks earlier) and even bud-break. This saw healthy, homogeneous shoot growth in the early season. Windy conditions during flowering led to some variability in berry set and produced looser clusters with small berries. Temperatures during ripening were moderate and without the usual heatwaves we have come to expect. This led to an even and measured pace in ripening and picking. Even with the uncertainty brought by the announcement of a national Covid-19 lockdown, on the 26th March 2020, we are grateful to have processed all wines safely to barrel before this time. While no-one expected the global outbreak of a pandemic on this scale, or with as far reaching ramifications, we have remained positive, and will continue to do so, despite a myriad of challenges faced. Wines of the vintage exhibit poise, concentration and a restrained potency. Hallmarks intrinsic to a future classic.