Klein Constantia

Vin de Constance, 2020

Name: Vin de Constance
Brand: Klein Constantia
Price: 465 GBP

95/100

Inside Bordeaux

97/100

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

96/100

The Wine Independent

95/100

Vinous

Available Vintages

all 2010 2019 2020 2022

delivery

in bond

En primeur

2020
3x1.5L
EP
£465.00

Justerini & Brooks Tasting note

2020 was an even-keeled vintage. The main challenge was the prevailing wind at flowering which reduced the crop. Consequently, the concentration level in the Vin de Constance is a little higher than in 2019. We tasted the wine just before bottling in May this year and noted its luscious feel and a touch more tropicality and stone fruit compared to the more floral 2019. It is sure to delight. It was certainly hard to spit!

delivery information

GUARANTEED PROVENANCE

Provenance in fine wine

When it comes to purchasing wine, provenance is of utmost importance. A wine’s history – where it’s sourced from and how it’s been stored – can have an enormous influence on the eventual enjoyment it provides. At Justerini & Brooks, we can trace nearly every case back to the domaine, estate or Château it originally came from; we ship from over 200 wine producers throughout the world.

Wines not bought directly from the vineyard are either sourced from trusted suppliers, with whom we share the same philosophy and rigour in buying, or from our own network of Cellarers customers. These customers’ wines are stored in optimal conditions in Octavian Corsham and, in the vast majority of cases, have been stored by us since the wine was first shipped. We do not purchase wine from auctions.

We feel it is equally important to for our customers that the case they buy and leave in storage with us is exactly the same case they subsequently have delivered. This may sound obvious and straightforward, yet we are one of very few merchants to have taken measures to ensure this.

We have created a system where every case is independent, thereby ensuring a trail of ownership and peace of mind for every customer.

The Journey

Justerinis ensures that every case of wine stored with Cellarers (Wines) Ltd has a unique identifier and customer’s name, almost unheard of in the industry as it is expensive to administer. These details are printed and placed on every case which is logged and recorded under your account name and kept in the world’s most renowned storage facility, Octavian Corsham.

This information is sent from our systems to the warehouse every day to ensure the trail of ownership is verified and upheld.

While customer reserves are stored in Corsham, our physical stocks are kept in Hoddesdon, further providing a geographical separation between customers’ wines with Cellarers and Justerinis’ own stock.

Further Reassurance

Cellarers (Wines) Ltd is a legally separate limited company from Justerini & Brooks which currently holds approximately £450 million worth of customer reserves. It is fully insured to catastrophic loss. Many merchants will state that wine in their care is fully insured, but in reality this is on an individual case basis with insufficient cover for total loss as this is prohibitively expensive. The cover provided by Octavian and Justerini & Brooks is unmatched.

Cellarers (Wines) Ltd is audited by PwC every year.

Critic Reviews

97/100

Anthony Mueller,

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Classic and expressive with seductive aromas of marmalade and honeysuckle, the 2020 Vin de Constance Natural Sweet Wine is fresh, balanced and complex, offering a delightful lift from 60% new oak. Clocking in at 13.5% alcohol, the palate displays a harmonious balance between fruit sweetness and energetic acidity. It has layers of complexity with impeccable breadth and depth. It may be one of the finest expressions of Vin de Constance to date, and it ends with succulent flavors of apricots, saffron, quince paste and sweet candied citrus tones over the long, ever-evolving finish. Aged for a year and a half in 50% new Hungarian and French oak barrels, followed by an additional year and a half of large format wooden foudre, only the best lots end up being selected for the final blend. Bravo! Run, dont walk to buy this world-class sweet wine to put in your cellar!

drinking window 2023 - 2070

date of review 12/2023

95/100

Neal Martin,

Vinous

The 2020 Vin de Constance, the usual Muscat de Frontignan, is matured 50% in Hungarian and French oak barrels for 18 months and then 18 months in foudres. There is 172g/L residual sugar this vintage, which is a little higher than usual. It has a pure bouquet with scents of wild honey, white peaches, nectarine, pressed white flowers and yuzu. Wonderful delineation, but you get the sense that it is holding itself back. The medium-bodied palate has a gorgeous, mellifluous texture coating the mouth without excessively imposing itself, thanks to the countervailing acidity. There’s pineapple, peach skin, aniseed, lime and stem ginger, the latter more pronounced than previous recent vintages and lending spiciness towards the finish as it fans out. Lingering candied orange peel on the aftertaste with the gingerbread theme continuing.

drinking window 2026 - 2050

date of review 11/2023

95/100

Jane Anson,

Inside Bordeaux

Rich rose gold in colour, just so much interest and depth on the aromatics. I always look forward to tasting this wine, and it never seems to disappoint. Dried apricot, caramel, patisserie, peach pit, sage, cardamon, sweet fleshy nectarine. This was a balanced vintage that was warm but not with the drought conditions of 2019, but it has plenty of sun-sweetened character, with lime zest twisting through the raising the tension and energy. Tasted twice. Matthew Day winemaker.

drinking window 2023 - 2048

date of review 08/2023

96/100

Lisa Perrotti-Brown,

The Wine Independent

The 2020 Vin De Constance is 100% Muscat de Frontignan. Fragrant notes of rose oil, allspice, candied ginger, and sultanas jump from the glass, with touches of pear tart and aniseed. The palate is fantastically pure and sweet, with a racy line to balance and an epically long, perfumed finish.

drinking window 2023 - 2033

date of review 08/2023

product details

Specifications

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abv:

14%

allergen information

This product may contain sulphites. Full allergen information is available upon request, please call our Customer Relations Team on +44 (0)20 7484 6430.