Klein Constantia Vin De Constance, Sweet Wine | 500 ml

Product Information

a b Klein Constantia. "History". Klein Constantia. Archived from the original on 14 April 2012 . Retrieved 4 April 2012. Adam Lechmere, who is a Wine Writer and Editor for over 20 years, wrote about the Vin de Constance wine in a piece titled “Vin de Constance: the world’s greatest sweet wine”in the piece he summarises the history perfectly by saying:

If both Anwilka and Vin de Constance remain works in progress, Day seems pretty content with what has been achieved so far with the latter, while remaining mindful that there’s still more to be done. There are echoes here of Moët Hennessy’s new approach with Château d’Yquem. Coinciding with the release of the famed Sauternes property’s 2019 vintage in early 2022, the company outlined an international by-the-glass programme designed to persuade people to enjoy Yquem young, rather than cellaring it for decades.Klein Constantia: Our Wines". Archived from the original on 23 March 2013 . Retrieved 8 March 2013. a b "Klein Constantia Vin de Constance". Archived from the original on 31 July 2010 . Retrieved 20 March 2012. alcohol. This is just remarkable. Quite pale in colour, it has a pure, enticing nose of sweet citrus, table grape, a hint of marmalade and some peach and apricot tropicality. In the mouth, this is complex and intense – almost viscous – with fresh citrus and table grape fruit, showing a bit of spice and marmalade, some peach skin and honey. The finish is endless: the purity of this wine is astonishing, but it’s not at all cloying, with some spicy phenolics adding the required detail, and a bit of alcoholic warmth. One of the world’s great sweet wines: you can cellar this with confidence. 96/100 The first sip was elegant and rich, but it was still fresh, with fruity notes that woke up the senses. It has the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity that makes it a unique experience. In June 2012, Klein Constantia merged with Stellenbosch-based vineyard, Anwilka (formerly co-owned by Lowell Jooste, Hubert de Boüard and Bruno Prats) and Klein Constantia welcomed two new shareholders in de Boüard, of Château Angélus and Prats, formerly of Château Cos d'Estournel. [14] Wine production [ edit ]

I was given one chance to prove myself,” Day recalls. Eleven years on, it seems to have worked out. How, then, did such a legendary wine fall from grace? Economic downturn in the second half of the 19th century, followed by the arrival of mildew and phylloxera in the Cape, and the subsequent dominance of the KWV – the state-run cooperative – saw it vanish.

In May 2011 the Jooste family sold Klein Constantia to Czech businessman Zdenĕk Bakala and Charles Harman from the UK. Both have been regular visitors to South Africa for the past twenty years, and together with their families now divide their time between their respective homes in Europe and Cape Town. [12] Mr Bakala is co-founder of the global diversified investment group, BXR, of which Mr Harman is the CEO. [13] Uniqueness is an overused term, but there is no other wine like Klein Constantia’s Vin de Constance. Produced from Muscat de Frontignan grapes on the cool lower slopes of Constantiaberg on the Cape Peninsula, it has an ancient history. Early records show how the 10th commander of the Cape, Simon van der Stel, planted the first vines at the estate he called Constantia in 1685” Adam Lechmere In 1778 the portion of the estate surrounding van der Stel's mansion was sold to the Cloete family, who planted extensive vineyards of mostly Frontignac, Pontac, red and white Muscadel and a little Steen ( Chenin blanc) [2] and extended and improved the mansion. On the death of Hendrik Cloete in 1818, the estate was split, and the upper portion became the property of Cloete's son Johan Gerhard Cloete under the name Klein Constantia. Matt Day, head winemaker at Klein Constantia since 2012, presented four decades of the estate’s wine at the Institute of Masters of Wine in September 2019. Day’s intention was to demonstrate his philosophy of balance and his mission to increase the freshness of the wine. Achieving balance is the goal of every winemaker, and Day discussed this holy grail in the simplest terms. ‘You need to make a sweet wine that almost tastes dry, so that you can drink it at different parts of a meal.’