Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 50cl 2021

Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 50cl 2021

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£75.00
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  • Robert Parker rating 97
  • Vinous rating 97
Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 50cl 2021
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HED02053

50 cl

14%
£75.00
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Made from 100% Muscat de Frontignan, Vin de Constance from Klein Constantia Estate is one of the great sweet wines of the world. Sought after by Napoleon and the European aristocracy. Praised by Charles Dickens, Jane Austen and Baudelaire.

The grapes are harvested by hand in several batches, ranging from bunches of ripe berries with great acidity to individual raisins with intense sugar concentration (the latter used to make the ‘essencia’, the very heart of Vin de Constance). Harvest is done in the very early hours of the morning, ensuring that the grapes come in at the coolest natural temperature.

After sorting macerated and fermented takes place in batches to monitor the ratio of sweetness, alcohol and acidity. Each batch is lightly pressed in 500l barrels where fermentation is allowed to stop naturally, this takes from 6 months to a year. After which the resulting wine is aged on its lees in a combination of new Hungarian and French oak and French acacia, for at least 3 Years.

The 2020 was harvested in early March and was released 5 years after harvest. The wine is deep yellow and gold, lusciously sweet balanced with perfect acidity. Lingering notes of dried apricots and orange marmalade with a pithy astringency and a mouth-watering finish.

97 Robert Parker
This wine has been made the same way since 1737. The Klein Constantia 2021 Vin de Constance reflects a great vintage on the Cape. The three-week period in March when fruit is harvested is Winemaker Matthew Day`s favorite time of year. He loves the way the sunshine hits this beautiful part of the vineyard. Muscat de Frontignan is planted to 40% bush vines and 60% trellised vines . They make as many as 25 to 30 passes through the vineyard at harvest. Because Muscat lacks acidity, they pick the bush vines early. Magic happens, he says, during maceration, when aromas of candied fruit and honey fill the winery. This is a beautifully balanced wine that stands on three pillars, all carefully aligned. sugar, acidity and alcohol. This vintage has 165 grams per liter of residual sugar and between 14% and 14.5% alcohol. Micro-oxidation is encouraged through the oak, especially during the first one and a half years of maturation. After that, the wine is put in foudre to integrate for one and half years. The result is a sweet wine that almost tastes dry thanks to its inner complexity and generous composition. Background tones of teak, perfumed sandalwood, nougat and Turkish tea will appear stronger as the wine continues its bottle evolution. According to Matthew Day, Vin de Constance usually peaks after five years in bottle, and then it starts a second round and opens up again. "It`s absolutely mind-blowing," he says. This clone comes from a massal selection. In 2012, the team isolated the best-performing blocks, and they selected six clones, later narrowed down to two. The bouquet is understated, so delicate, so fine. - Monica Larner
97 Vinous
The 2021 Vin de Constance comes from 27 different batches with two weeks on the skins. With 173.5 grams per liter of residual sugar (the same as 2020), it presents a very pure bouquet, effervescent with quince, orange zest and just a hint of marmalade—wonderfully delineated and focused. The palate is supremely well balanced with a viscous entry and extremely good weight in the mouth, but the acidity (6.3 grams per liter) keeps this on its toes. Quite spicy on the finish, this lingers long in the mouth, and I can still feel it 30 seconds after it has departed. There’s real freshness and electricity here. Outstanding.

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