2012 | Klein Constantia | Vin de Constance (Half Liter)

Golden and bright in color with aromas of marmalade and nutmeg on the nose. The palate is fresh and creamy with a rich sweetness that is complimented by good acidity, bringing the wine into perfect balance and ending with a lengthy and vibrant finish.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The 2012 Vin de Constance Natural Sweet Wine delivers 160 grams per liter of residual sugar with a pH of 3.7 and, spent 28 months in French and Hungarian oak barrels. There is actually great similarity on the nose, perhaps a little more floral than the 2011 with mirabelle,and a touch of petrol infusing the honey and marmalade aromas. The palate is unctuous on the entry, nicely balanced as the acidity slices through the rich honeyed fruit that lingers long in the mouth, a touch of orange zest and nectarine towards the finish. I have a preference for this Vin de Constance over the 2012 - a superb dessert wine from Matthew Day.

• James Suckling: Dried apricot with some cherry, light caramel and brown sugar. Full-bodied and medium-sweet with phenolic texture. Amazingly deep and layered, showing turkish delight and some toffee, too. Flavorful finish. Sweet and savory at the same time. Even salty.

Producer Information

Klein Constantia is one of South Africa's most famous – and historic – wine producers, located in Constantia in the hills overlooking southwest Cape Town. It is most famous for its flagship wine, the naturally sweet Vin de Constance made from Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains. This historic wine was a favorite of the courts of Europe in the 19th Century, and is mentioned in the literature of Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. It was famously requested by Napoleon Bonaparte on his deathbed. The estate was once part of a larger estate called Constantia, established in 1685 by Simon van Der Stel, the then-Governor and namesake of Stellenbosch. In 1817, the estate was broken up into Groot (big) and Klein (small) Constantia, the latter of which was already under vine. Unfortunately, Constantia was hit by phylloxera in the later part of the 19th Century, and the vineyards were forgotten until the 1970s, when they were revived and a new era of winemaking commenced. Although Vin de Constance is Klein Constantia's most important wine, the estate makes a range of dry wines from grape varieties like Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard is subject to cooling influences from nearby False Bay, and sits on decomposed granite and limestone soils, leading to intensely aromatic wines. The Muscat for the Vin de Constance is left to raisin on the vine before harvest, making a lusciously sweet wine with flavors of pineapple, quince and spice.

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