Klein Constantia : Vin de Constance 2018

There's a broad-shouldered feel to this white, which is lightly mouthcoating while also vibrant, with a tangy kick of candied orange and pink grapefruit peel acidity. Flavors of mango, baked yellow peach and crushed macadamia, plus notes of dried flowers and zesty spices, ring out on the creamy palate and through the finish. -- Non-blind Vin de Constance vertical (February 2024). Drink now through 2039.

A gorgeous wine, texturally brilliant with such intensity while not being overpowering or too much. The overall feeling is so satin-like, smooth and intense with layers of wild honey, orange blossom, caramel, pear, white peach and a delicate smokiness. The aromas alone are enough to get your excited about this wine. A density of sweetness settles at the back of the throat reminding you that this is a sweet wine as there’s so much freshness and life to it. Everything in balance and in its place. Exceptional. Drink now to enjoy the youth or wait for further evolution.

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.

100% Muscat de Frontignan. Another brilliant nose from Vin de Constance. Very floral, with notes of fresh grapes, sultanas and honey. The palate is fleshy and complex with spice. Ginger, lemongrass and yuzu come through with further notes of honey and sultana. Despite the sweetness, there is a lightness of touch. Vibrant, powerful fruit and earthy ginger and saffron linger on a very long finish. (TP)

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.

Bright, floral and fresh, the 2018 Vin de Constance Natural Sweet Wine presents a nose full of focused fruits with power and precision while possessing a beautiful balance of flowers and stone fruit aromas. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is not overly sweet but harmonious and seductively pleasurable. Bright acidity paired with a perfect sparring partner of succulent sweetness duel for attention before ending with a long, ever-evolving, spicy finish that has me coming back for more. I'm not spitting any of this out.