2021 Vin de Constance

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 (this section is harvested last). 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.