Groot Constantia Grand Constance 2018

A touch of red muscat gives the Grand Constance a bright amber colour. The nose shows orange marmalade, honey, and caramel, with layers of dried fruit like apricot, peach, and raisin. The honey and dried fruit follow on the palate. The wine has great intensity, and the sweetness is beautifully balanced by the natural acidity.

Mediterranean climate with cool breezes from the Atlantic Ocean, with an average maximum temperature in summer of 26˚C, and an average night-time low in winter of 8˚C. The long-term average rainfall is 1100 mm per year. The wine comes from a vineyard next to the famous Manor House at 80 m to 90 m above sea level, planted on a duplex soil with sandstone-based topsoil on partially decomposed granite. The slope is southeast facing with a yield of 4.0 t/ha.

A long ripening period ensured that the sweet berries to fully ripen and desiccate. The raisined berries are selected and fermented on the skins with daily pump overs. After a week, the fermenting must be pressed and allowed to ferment to the desired sugar balance in barrel. The wines are racked back into old barrel to mature for 24 months before blending and bottling.

After fermentation the wines were racked and put back into barrels to mature for another 24 months.

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