This was always my Dads favorite block and favorite wine. The Belfield Magnifica. How on earth could we carry on this legacy? Very fortunately in my day job, serendipitously, we conducted a Stellenbosch versus Bordeaux tasting at De Trafford winery for a client and friend. David Trafford joined us and we had a fantastic evening tasting the best of Stellenbosch (including De Trafford) against the best of Bordeaux (including Latour and Lafite). David and I got chatting and at that stage we had no idea what we were going to do at Belfield with winemaking, or anything! The tasting highlighted some of the elegance of Bordeaux reds, and cooler climate reds, and we spoke about the Magnifica having that elegant cooler climate fruit and tannin structure. One thing lead to another and David, the ever curious and adventurous winemaker of Sijnn fame, agreed to add a new wine to the De Trafford label, the De Trafford Belfield Cabernet Sauvignon. The first vintage (2020) has been released and we couldn’t be more excited. You will notice a small detail on his label, if you look carefully you will see the architectural plans of the farm house at Belfield. The small details are also happening in the vineyard. We are busy renewing the Cabernet block, ensuring that the 22 year old vines can live a lot longer, while at the same time taking out and replacing unhealthy vines. It is a labour of love, one vine and one bunch at a time, and we couldn’t be more grateful to work with a winemaker of David’s calibre and quiet commitment to quality. Allister Kreft