Strauss & co - 8 June 2019 (Wine)

183 Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 1986 500ml 1 (1 x 1) R30 000 – 40 000 PROVENANCE Private Client ITEM NOTES 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 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 and the 1986 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 sort-after vintage. ‘Intense, lifted, fresh honey and lemon bouquet. Racy, minerally acid lends vivid clarity to the rich fruit, silky texture. Excellent balance. Incisively clean, long. Amazingly youthful.’ Angela Lloyde ‘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.