Constantia Glen, Two 2019

Description

CULTIVARS
67% Sauvignon Blanc, 33% Sémillon

PALATE
Terrific freshness, good fruit concentration and depth, but it remains restrained and elegant with stony mineral nuances. The fresh acidity is beautifully balanced with a mouth-coating creamy texture on the palate, which is brought about by barrel fermentation and maturation in these vessels on the gross lees for 7 months. Furthermore, 33% of this blend is Sémillon, which contributes weight and texture, making this a truly harmonious blend with an intriguing saline quality that lingers well onto your next sip.

NOSE
Elegant and subtle, with delicate aromas of lime, green fig and floral notes delineating towards elderflower and orange blossom. The wine is tightly wound in its youth, but shows absolute fruit purity as well as some citrus and waxy notes, which will integrate and develop into a very refined wine.

COLOUR
Clear and bright with a light gold colour, tinged with lime green.

HARVEST SUMMARY BY WINEMAKER, JUSTIN VAN WYK
2019 was yet another excellent vintage for white varieties at Constantia Glen with cool temperatures and a long ripening season preceding the harvest. The moderate weather conditions in the two months leading up to harvest resulted in fantastic flavour development and phenomenal levels of natural acidity in the grapes at the time of picking. Slow accumulation of sugars during ripening bodes well for more complex development of flavour precursors in the grapes and our dryland vineyards showed remarkable buffering capacity as they ripened the fruit optimally without any notable strain on the vines. This, in part, is thanks to the moderate conditions of the vintage, but most importantly due to the fact that the Constantia Glen vineyards have been dry-farmed since they were planted 19 years ago and the roots have become accustomed to the drying soils by reaching deeper and deeper into the clay- rich subsoil with each passing year. Picking of our Sauvignon Blanc commenced on 19 February 2019 and continued for 3 weeks as each different clone and vineyard block achieved optimal ripeness. The last block of Sauvignon Blanc, situated at the highest elevation on the estate (270 metres above sea-level), was picked on 9 March 2019. The white grape harvest culminated with the last block of Sémillon, making up a significant 33% portion of this blend, on 13 March 2019.

TECHNICAL INFO
The grapes used to make this wooded Constantia white wine are specially selected from the best vineyard blocks on the estate. These grapes are handpicked, and the juice is fermented in 600 litre demi-muids as well as a few clay amphorae. 45% of the grapes for this wine were pressed as whole bunches, with the balance being destemmed and crushed and the juice given 6 to 8 hours of skin contact prior to pressing. The wine was barrel-fermented and matured on the gross lees for 7 months in 600 litre barrels, of which 18% were new and the remainder of the barrels ranged from 2nd to 6th fill. Careful use of neutral French oak as well as 13% Austrian oak, 9% French Acacia and 13% clay-amphora ensures that the wine has depth and texture with only a small influence of oak notable on the nose and palate. The final wine consists of 67% Sauvignon Blanc, which provides the acidity and backbone of the blend, with 33% Sémillon contributing to the waxy weight, richness, and texture of the wine. This is a classic Constantia White that will further develop in the bottle to gain even more complexity with age. Bottle maturation would be possible for 10 to 15 years under ideal cellaring conditions.

Additional information

Grilled Kingklip with Salsa Verde. Lightly seared green asparagus and buffalo mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto. Char Siu pork belly with citrus spice and fresh coriander. Oak-smoked trout with dill crème fraiche and a cucumber pickle.