Cape Heritage and The Loire
Timed Online Auction, 1 - 12 August 2024
Cape Heritage - White Wines
About the SessionThe Cape Heritage White Wine Session features the noble variety, Chenin Blanc, known for its versatility and fruit intensity. South Africa has the oldest Chenin Blanc vines in the world and produces long-aging, diverse and fine wines.
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About this Item
Described as one of the world’s most beautiful vineyards, the 146 hectares of Klein Constantia originally formed part of "Constantia", a vast property established in 1685 by Simon van der Stel, the first governor of the Cape. This particular valley was chosen not only for its beauty, but also for the decomposed granite soils on its slopes, gently cooled by ocean breezes. The property behind the iconic Vin de Constance has pedigree and provenance that stretches widely beyond sweet wine.
The property was restored in 1983 and just two barrels of the 1986 were made under winemaker Ross Gower. The resurrected ‘Vin de Constance’ has once again become one of the world’s greatest sweet wines. 1986 was the first modern era vintage and is still in perfect condition, having been recorked at Klein Constantia. Very little is known about how the 1986 vintage was made, but the tiny harvest would have been macerated on the skins before a hard pressing designed to extract not just sugar and flavour but tannins too, giving the finished wine more texture. This is an incredibly rare and sought-after vintage.
The re-creation of the legendary Constantia wine made in the 18th and 19th centuries, sought after by Napoleon, the aristocracy of Europe, King George IV and King Louis Philippe and praised by Charles Dickens, Jane Austen and Baudelaire! The property was restored in 1983 and this was the 2nd vintage produced under Ross Gower and the first to ever be commercially released.
1986 is regarded as one of the finest vintages produced in the 80s and 90s. According to current cellar master, Matt Day, the 1986 bottles are bullet proof, and so it seems. All bottles opened for recorking, even poor ullage ones, showing life and structure. Topped up (with the same vintage) and re-corked, sealed and documented at the source for the purpose of this auction, in partnership with Amorim & Klein Constantia. Seal code sU-414212 can be traced on Amorim Recorking Directory
Provenance
6 bottles were bought by a Private Collector from Christies Auction House in the UK. The Avery Family Cellar Sale took place in October 2016. For three decades the bottles were stored in the Avery family cellar in the UK. When the bottles were purchased in 2016, they were transferred and stored in professional storage at LCB´s Vinotheque in London. The 6 bottles were delivered to Strauss & Co by Seabrook Export Services and then recorked at Klein Constantia on 21 May 2024.
Critics Ratings
‘This is truly one of the best VDC bottles I have ever tasted. Perfect condition, pale golden colour super complex. Slight Pineapple tart, fudge, sandalwood and Mango with a lovely spice on the nose. Intense, lifted, fresh honey and lemon bouquet. Racy, minerally acid lends vivid clarity to the rich fruit, silky texture.' - Matthew Day (Klein Constantia winemaker) (May 2024 tasted at recorking)
'Excellent balance. Incisively clean, long. Amazingly youthful.’ - Angela Lloyd
‘Startling caramelised orange nose, smoky, a touch of rancio, vivid. Medium bodied, moderate concentration, good acidity, a trace of oxidation, yet vibrant, with some tropical fruit. Peppery finish, fine length.’ - Stephen Brook, Decanter magazine.
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