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Vin de Constance, Klein Constantia 2018

RegionSouth Africa
Subregion South Africa
ColourSweet White
TypeStill
Grape VarietyMuscat

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Tasting Notes

The 2018 Vin de Constance was picked over 60 days, the second most prolonged picking since the maiden 1986 vintage. It was lightly pressed into 500-liter barrels for alcoholic fermentation, which can take up to six months, then matured on the gross lees in 60% new oak and acacia barrels. This vintage contains 172g/L residual sugar and 6.2g/L total acidity. It presents a vibrant, effervescent bouquet of freshly sliced grapefruit, fresh fig and citrus fruit, all penetrating, vivacious and tensile. The palate is beautifully balanced with a fine bead of acidity, impressive weight and notes of grapefruit and orange zest plus hints of stem ginger. The spiciness is accentuated toward the finish. Another outstanding Vin de Constance courtesy of winemaker Matt Day.

96
Neal Martin, vinous.com, November 2021

Extraordinary aromas of white peaches, apricots, vanilla and flowers. Full-bodied and very sweet with so much sweet and dried fruit, such as apricots and tangerines, yet it maintains citrusy freshness and texture, with a long, very sweet finish. Always energetic and vivid. Great length to this. Goes on for minutes. It’s a sweet wine to drink when young, to marvel over the intensity and verve, yet also one to age for decades. Drink or hold.

98
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, August 2021

While similar in color to the 2017, the 2018 Vin de Constance Natural Sweet Wine possesses a richer, rounder frame than the previous vintage. Devastatingly gorgeous on the nose, the wine exudes ripeness, precision and focus, somersaulting out of the glass with gorgeous aromas of apricot purée, white nectarine and yellow peach with heady floral aromas. Compact, medium to full-bodied and unctuous on the palate, the wine explodes, showcasing the greatness of Muscat. The wine continues to unfold in the mouth, expressing additional layers and complexity it sits on the palate. It's wonderfully textured, and I find myself almost chewing the wine, as there is so much going on with it. Drawing in air over the palate, I continue to slurp the wine and it continues to offer up more of its secrets and complexity. No spitting today. The wine glides to a persistent and world-class finish that has me smitten with this vintage. Do not pass up the opportunity to try this wine.

96
Anthony Mueller, RobertParker.com, June 2022

The most gorgeous mix of straw, powerful citrus, apricot, fresh juicy white pear and peach, tons of stone fruits and spice, graphite and smoke. As ever this is both subtle and overpowering, managing push and pull and so so good - both lusciously sweet and a breath of fresh air running through your palate. As I say every time I drink Vin de Constance, if every sweet wine tasted like this, there would be no sales crisis in the category. Drink now, or allow the flavours to deepen further over the next decade

98
Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com, September 2021
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.