Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2019 (1.5L)

98 JA / 98 DE / 97 VM / 97 JS / 94 WI / 18 JR

#2 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of South Africa 2022

Vin de Constance takes the category of sweet wines to a new level and this is another stunning success from them. Expect succulent pear quince apple peach pit tarte tatin wonderfully seductive and opulent but never taking a single step over the line. Second year on the Place for this iconic wine. Winemaker Matthew Day. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

Butterscotch, lemon patisserie and peach aromas. Pristine quality to the texture, lively and thrilling, this is a serious, opulent and powerful wine, more on the spiced, nuanced side with aspects of dried herbs, wood scents and bitter lemon and orange with a touch of honeyed lychee. It feels supremely complex and characterful. Sophisticated, layered and balanced with some minerality, a slight graphite edge all of which adds to the whole. It's still extremely youthful but there is real sculpting here, a sense of precision, style and freshness. Well crafted with an extremely long life ahead. A wonder, and one of the best from the estate! - Georgina Hindle, Decanter

Bright medium to deep gold hue showing focused and pure aromas of honeysuckle fresh vanilla lemon tart dried mango ginger and a hint of saffron. Certainly quite sweet but not unctuous with the natural effortless acidity managing to balance the lushness. Intense yet scented and naturally expressive. Persistent finish. You crave for a second glass if you drink it now but you can also hold it for a decade in your cellar. - James Suckling

The 2019 Vin de Constance is matured for 18 months in 500-liter Hungarian and French oak barrels, 50% new, followed by another 18 months in oak foudres. The growing season saw more sunlight hours than previous vintages (2,998 compared to 2,588 in 2018 for example). It has an understated nose, almost Sauternes-like even if it does not contain an ounce of botrytis. Subtle nutty aromas percolate through the wild honey and quince scents, wax resin and lanolin. The palate is medium-bodied and very pure. Disarmingly fine acidity, it is slightly Germanic towards the finish. with a hint of lemongrass lingering on the aftertaste. This is a superb Vin de Constance under the tenure of Matt Day that is a step closer to what you might confusingly call a non-sweet dessert wine. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

The 2019 Vin De Constance is made from 100% Muscat de Frontignan. Pale gold color it is SO fragrant with floral notes of roses and lavender over a core of lychees mango and guava notes plus suggestions of musk melon and spice cake. SO pure on the palate it is superbly rich and sweet with a fantastic backbone of acidity oily long pure and intense. This is like liquid Turkish delight! - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent

Barrel sample of the initial blend. Will be reblended after three years’ barrel maturation. RS 162 g/l.
Intense, powerful nose of apricot, orange and white flowers. On the palate, rich and sweet with a touch of spice, but a very fine line of acidity keeping beautiful harmony. Very long. This will fill out with more vanilla creaminess from longer maturation. - Tim Jackson MW, JancisRobinson .com