Klein Constantia - Wine of Constance 2019
Klein Constantia is located in Constantia , above Cape Town in South Africa . The 146-hectare estate was originally part of 'Constantia', a vast estate created in 1685 by Simon van der Stel , the first governor of the Cape. The first vines were planted in 1652 and in 1659, Vin de Constance is one of only three wines from the southern hemisphere to be listed among the “ 44 greatest wines in the world ”. The first international export of Constantia took place in 1726. It quickly became a favorite of European nobility, including the Prussian Emperor Frederick the Great, whose cellar contained 409 bottles of "Capp Constancia" in October 1777. In Versailles, the cellar of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette contained 2,634 bottles of “Vin du Cap de Constance” in November 1782. Lambertus Johannes Colyn took over the estate in 1798 and had a great knowledge of the vinification of sweet wines; in his diary he describes everything from soil preparation (a basket of manure is used for four vines) to pest control to fining (each barrel with a pool of sheep's or goat's blood). Napoleon Bonaparte, in exile on the island of Saint Helena, tasted up to one bottle of Constance wine a day. He even reportedly asked for a drink on his deathbed, refusing any other food and drink offered to him. However, in 1872 Constantia winemaking ceased due to labor shortages following the abolition of slavery, the onset of powdery mildew, and the fact that the taste of the wine market goes from sweet to dry. In 1980, Duggie Jooste bought Klein Constantia and decided to restore the farm to its former wine-growing glory. The first modern vintages of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon from Klein Constantia were produced from 1986, followed by the famous Vin de Constance in 1990. Lasting changes were made from 2003, and the estate was sold in 2011 to the Czech-American investor Zdenek Bakala and British businessman Charles Harman . In June 2012, famous Bordeaux wine personalities, Bruno Prats and Hubert de Boüard , merged their Stellenbosch-based farm “Anwilka” with Klein Constantia.
Vin de Constance is made from Muscat de Frontignan . The grapes are harvested by hand in multiple batches, ranging from clusters of ripe berries with high acidity to individual raisins with an intense sugar concentration. The grapes are then macerated and fermented, each batch is kept separately and treated differently to achieve the perfect ratio between sugar, alcohol and acidity. Cold maceration on the skins can take up to 2 weeks. Each batch is lightly pressed in 500 liter barrels for fermentation, which stops naturally and without intervention; it takes 6 months to a year. After fermentation, the wine is aged on large lees in a combination of new French oak, Hungarian oak and French acacia for at least 3 years . No racking or movement of wine takes place until final blending is achieved.
“ A delicately perfumed but lifted nose with flavors of white peach, citrus blossom and orange zest. There is an intriguing creaminess on the nose followed by nutmeg and lemon curd. The palate is packed with complex flavors of oak spice, ginger and bright fruit ”
Grape variety: 100% Muscat de Frontignan
