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1 perfect bottle of Klein Constantina, Vin de Constance, 2016 (50cl). Always stored in an optimal cellar.
Tasting Notes:
Deeply complex and robust, the nose is layered with Seville orange marmalade, honeysuckle and ginger. Unctuously full bodied with intense flavours ranging from dried mango to fresh vanilla and lively citrus zest. These allow for the perfect balance on the palate, showing restrained concentration with a pithy astringency and a mouth-watering finish
Vintage 2016:
The 2016 vintage was earlier than anticipated due to El Niño causing a warm and dry weather build up to harvest, resulting in faster ripening fruit. Still it yielded berries with concentrated flavours and well balanced acidity. Fortunately, in the Constantia Valley we receive enough rainfall, even during the driest of seasons and are safeguarded with sufficient moisture in the soils, unlike some warmer regions in the country. We are also protected from the extreme heat spikes by our proximity to the ocean, experiencing predominantly cool night time temperatures allowing for the perfect and slow raisining conditions for the development of ripeness while retaining a good natural acidity.
Winemaking:
Now with a completely renovated cellar, we have made use of dedicated tanks intended for perfect maceration and fermentation of the Vin de Constance.
Each batch we harvest - from the riper berries with good acidity to the raisins for sugar concentration - forms a unique component and as such is kept separate and treated differently until the final blending process which can take up to 6 months. Maturation was an average of 3 years, with 50% in 500L barrels and 50% in brand new French Oak Foudres.
Maturation:
The wine was aged in a combination of 50 % new French oak, Hungarian oak and French Acacia. It was left for a period of 3 years in barrel on the gross lees before racking out and blending. It spent a further 6 months in tank before bottling.
Wine Analysis:
Alc: 14%
RS:164,8g/l
pH: 3.7
TA: 6.5g/l
Background Information:
First produced over 300 years ago as Constantia , Kings vied for possession of this wine; Louis Philippe sent emissaries from France to fetch it; Napoleon drank it on the island of St Helena to find solace in his lonely exile; Frederick the Great and Bismarck ordered it; Charles Dickens character Edwin Drood found support in it and Jane Austen recommended Constantia for its "healing powers on a disappointed heart".
Vin de Constance today is one of the world s greatest sweet wines.
Made from 100% Muscat de Frontignan.
Production of Vin de Constance is extremely limited and only occurs in exceptional years - there was no 2010 vintage.
98/100 - Tim Atkin MW
"Increasingly celebrated as one of the great sweet wines of the world, not just the Cape, Vin de Constance is a delight to taste and review. Slightly drier than the 2015 release at 165 grams of sugar, it has more in common with the Loire or Tokaji than it does with Sauternes in terms of freshness and structure."
97/100 - Neal Martin, Vinous
"The 2016 Vin de Constance is matured in 50% French acacia oak, Hungarian oak and regular French oak, and 50% in French foudres. This has more delineation and precision on the nose compared to the previous vintage, offering acacia honey, quince, saffron and touches of elderflower in the background. The palate is very well balanced with fine precision, a killer line of acidity and disarming purity toward a finish that lingers in the mouth. Stunning."
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