Constantia Glen, THREE 2022

Description

Located below Constantia Nek, Constantia Glen is a picturesque wine estate producing ultra-premium, cool climate white and red wines. The 60-hectare property, situated 103-2790 meters above sea level, has a mere 29 hectares under vine with product of wines limited to 120,000 bottles per annum. Although winemaking began in 1685, recent history begins with the Waibel family, who purchased the land in 1960. Although this land is difficult to farm, the dedication, patience and passion of the Waibel family has resulted in high-quality wines, reflective of the terroir.

HARVEST SUMMARY BY CELLAR MASTER, JUSTIN VAN WYK
The 2022 vintage gave us yet another fantastic crop at Constantia Glen. We would characterise 2022 as a cool vintage with a lot of opulence and abundant fruit. Due to a
cold winter in 2021 and a cool growing season preceding the harvest, the picking kicked off extremely late; on 28 February 2022 for the white grapes, and on 21 March 2022 for the reds. The red wine harvest commenced on this date with some Malbec grapes directly beside the winery building. Harvesting of red grapes continued for four weeks, as each vineyard block achieved optimal ripeness. The harvest came to a close on 19 April 2022 when the final blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon were picked and processed into the winery. A cool growing season such as this results in slow and even ripening, which is beneficial to the development of complex flavour precursors in the grapes. Thanks to well established vineyards with excellent root systems, the dryland vineyards on the estate ripened the fruit with ease and the 2022 vintage has delivered elegant and refined wines with fantastic richness, structure, and delicious flavour concentration. The freshness and persistent fine-grain tannins evident on the wines in their youth provide me with a lot of confidence that this vintage will be one with excellent ageing potential.

CULTIVARS
54% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Cabernet Franc

VINIFICATION
This delicious three-way blend was carefully crafted from grapes grown on the estate. It comprises 54% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Cabernet Franc and was
matured for 18 months in 20% new, 50% second-fill and 30% third-fill French oak barrels. The wine was lightly filtered prior to bottling to gently mellow the rich tannin
structure.

TASTING NOTE
Youthful in appearance, this wine has a deep ruby hue. Beautiful concentration of dark fruit aromas on the nose with pronounced blackcurrant and ripe plum is complemented by a subtle touch of dried herbs and a hint of spice. There is a lovely savory complexity beyond the initial ripe fruit with lingering notes of white pepper, graphite, and cedar. The wine is rich and textured, with elegant, velvety, fine-grain tannins that grip the palate in a vibrant intensity of flavour. This wine is poised, elegant and with it’s inherent freshness, brings about a long, well-defined finish. While this wine comes across as tightly wound in its youth, it holds significant ageing potential.

This vintage shows beautiful elegance as well as the round, velvety texture that has become synonymous to the Constantia Glen THREE. It can be enjoyed in its youth, yet it will certainly age and develop admirably for another 8-12 years from harvest, under ideal cellaring conditions.

FOOD PAIRING
Traditional Austrian Goulash made with beef, paprika, onions and served with Spätzle.

TECHNICAL ANALYSIS
Alcohol 14.5%
Residual Sugar 2.8 g/L
pH 3.54
Titratable Acidity 5.40 g/L
VA 0.70 g/L

Additional information

Traditional Austrian Goulash made with beef, paprika, onions and served with Spätzle.