Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2020 (500ML)

96 WS / 96 DE / 96 WI / 96 JS / 95 VM / 95 DB / 95 JA / 17.5 JR

#6 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of South Africa 2023

A gorgeous dessert wine, with a fine, creamy nappe to the texture as it lightly coats the palate, carrying flavors of ripe apricot, passion fruit coulis and candied pink grapefruit peel, with an array of aromatic accents, including bergamot, orange blossoms, warm peach skin, candied ginger, cardamom and tea rose. Vibrant acidity creates a mouthwatering frame, while the panoply of aromas and flavors echo on the finish. Muscat de Frontignan. Drink now through 2039. From South Africa.—A.N., Wine Spectator

Highly floral and concentrated nose full of marmalade, orange zest, toasted caramel patisserie, orange blossom, a Tutti Fruitti element and some soft oak touches too. Thick and viscous, comforting and deep with a weighty, sugary texture offset by serious spiced and toasted edges that give this angles and a taught frame. Serious, not so easy and generous, more dense and concentrated, this feels well built and purposeful. The sweetness (butterscotch, thick creamy lemon and apricot yoghurt and hints of honey) is countered by a delicious citrus zestiness and bitter orange touches. I adore the combination of flavours and this feels expertly made with precision, freshness and clarity. Lots to enjoy and think about here with a satisfying, long, mineral grip on the finish. From a challenging 2020 vintage with small, concentrated berries and a reduced crop. 174g/l residual sugar. 3.92pH. 6.3g/l total acidity. Ageing one and a half years in 50% new, 500l Hungarian and French oak barrels followed by the same time in large-format wooden foudre. Barrels are then selected with the best being chosen for the final blend. Winemaker Matthew Day. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter 

The 2020 Vin De Constance is 100% Muscat de Frontignan. Fragrant notes of rose oil, allspice, candied ginger, and sultanas jump from the glass, with touches of pear tart and aniseed. The palate is fantastically pure and sweet, with a racy line to balance and an epically long, perfumed finish. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

Bright medium-gold hue with a focused and intense nose layered with honeysuckle, apricot, citrus, honey and marmalade. A hint of mineral, too. Really pure and tangy with a luscious palate balanced by intense citrusy flavors and natural acidity that is beautifully chiselled to the palate. Long and effortless. Consistently great muscat here. Drinkable now if you love the vibrancy of it, but one could keep this for a decade or two. - James Suckling

The 2020 Vin de Constance, the usual Muscat de Frontignan, is matured 50% in Hungarian and French oak barrels for 18 months and then 18 months in foudres. There is 172g/L residual sugar this vintage, which is a little higher than usual. It has a pure bouquet with scents of wild honey, white peaches, nectarine, pressed white flowers and yuzu. Wonderful delineation, but you get the sense that it is holding itself back. The medium-bodied palate has a gorgeous, mellifluous texture coating the mouth without excessively imposing itself, thanks to the countervailing acidity. There’s pineapple, peach skin, aniseed, lime and stem ginger, the latter more pronounced than previous recent vintages and lending spiciness towards the finish as it fans out. Lingering candied orange peel on the aftertaste with the gingerbread theme continuing. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

This is wonderfully pure, clean, bright and fresh. Apricot and honey, apple crumble, poached pears, poire Belle Hélène, tarte tatin and a little butterscotch. Charmingly moreish, wonderfully fresh despite its impressive density, concentration and viscosity. - Colin Hay, The Drink Business

Rich rose gold in colour, just so much interest and depth on the aromatics. I always look forward to tasting this wine, and it never seems to disappoint. Dried apricot, caramel, patisserie, peach pit, sage, cardamon, sweet fleshy nectarine. This was a balanced vintage that was warm but not with the drought conditions of 2019, but it has plenty of sun-sweetened character, with lime zest twisting through the raising the tension and energy. Tasted twice. Matthew Day winemaker. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

100% Muscat de Frontignan. ‘An ideal build up to harvest created exceptional conditions for the raisining of the Muscat fruit. The result was a very compressed harvest that started in early March and was completed within 3 weeks, unlike typical harvests where it can take up to 2 months.’ Fermentation stopped naturally. The wine was aged for 1.5 years in 50% new 500-litre Hungarian and French oak barrels, followed by a further 1.5 years in a large-format wooden foudre. The final blend is a cask selection. TA 6.3 g/l, pH 3.92, RS 172 g/l.
Pale gold in colour with a sweet, grapey, floral nose. The palate is silky, pristine and sweet. Crystallised ginger, honeysuckle and maple come through. A generous but perfectly balanced vintage. Long, and very youthful. Should age well. --Tom Parker MW Jancis Robinson