2015 - Vin De Constance, Klein Constantia, Constantia

A pale gold color, the 2015 Vin de Constance Natural Sweet Wine has strong, precise aromas of golden raisins and orange marmalade. The palate shows great balance between sweetness, alcohol and acid and is sweet but not as overly sweet as many other sticky wines. Wow, this is delicate with generous floral tones and is really delicious. The grapes were harvested in different tries to select fresher berries earlier at the beginning of the harvest in order to maintain acidity levels in the wine, while other berries were harvested later in the season to increase sweetness. This wine captures the essence of Vin de Constance and was aged in a combination of 50% new French oak, Hungarian oak and French Acacia barrels.

The 2015 Vin de Constance is limpid silver-gold in the glass. It has a bouquet of acacia honey, marmalade and pressed yellow flowers, plus a slight adhesive note in the background; I cannot recall a Vin de Constance with such intense aromatics. The palate is viscous on the entry, and a vital bead of acidity lends balance and freshness. This is an all-consuming, multidimensional wine with marmalade and dried quince notes mixed with Moroccan spices toward an unctuous finish that leaves your head spinning. Awesome - but it is not the most tensile Vin de Constance I have tasted.