Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2014 50cl

Description

Single Bottle Price £70.00.

Tasting Notes:
Bright and yellow gold in colour. The nose displays aromas of citrus, ginger and fresh nutmeg. Elegant, well rounded in acidity with a creamy mouthfeel, the flavours follow through offering a zesty mid palate. Full and refreshing, the wine concludes with a long and concentrated finish.

Vintage 2014:
The 2014 harvest for the Muscat de Frontignan started later than usual due to a long wet winter. During the ripening process we experienced dry and moderate temperatures with rainfall that was unusual for the season. All these conditions lead to effective raisining in late March and early April.

Winemaking:
In order to further elevate the quality of Vin de Constance, we aim to constantly improve various elements in the making of this wine. Throughout the season we harvest in batches – from the riper berries that have great acidity to the raisins for sugar concentration. Upon entering the cellar, each batch is separated and treated differently. These batches make up the perfect ratio between sugar, alcohol and acidity which allows the wine to stop fermentation naturally and without intervention. Fermentation ranges anywhere between 6 weeks to 6 months.

Maturation:
The wine was aged in a combination of 50 % new French oak, Hungarian oak and French Acacia. It was left for a period of 3 years in barrel on the gross lees before racking out and blending. It spent a further 6 months in tank before bottling.

Wine Analysis:
Alc: 14.09%
RS:166.3g/l
pH: 3.8
TA: 6.8g/l

Background Information:
First produced over 300 years ago as ‘Constantia’, Kings vied for possession of this wine; Louis Philippe sent emissaries from France to fetch it; Napoleon drank it on the island of St Helena to find solace in his lonely exile; Frederick the Great and Bismarck ordered it; Charles Dickens’ character Edwin Drood found support in it and Jane Austen recommended Constantia for its “healing powers on a disappointed heart”.

Vin de Constance today is one of the world’s greatest sweet wines.
Made from 100% Muscat de Frontignan.

Production of Vin de Constance is extremely limited and only occurs in exceptional years – there was no 2010 vintage.