More wines available from Klein Constantia
750ml
Bottle:
$17.94
$19.20
A touch reductive on the nose, this medium-bodied red features flavors of baked black plum, bitter cherry, smoke and...
750ml
Bottle:
$28.80
Light and bright in appearance. Spicy citrus aromas fill the nose supported by saline and green apple notes. The...
750ml
Bottle:
$26.90
$28.80
The 2017 Chardonnay is whole-bunch-pressed and matured in 30% new oak with no malolactic. The tightly wound bouquet...
750ml
Bottle:
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The 2018 Red Blend Estate, a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Petit Verdot and 17% Malbec, has a more expressive...
More Details
Winery
Klein Constantia
Vintage: 2012
2012 has, so far been a positive year for wineries around the world. While it may be a little too early to speak of the wines being made in the northern hemisphere, European and North American wineries have already begun reporting that their harvesting season has been generally very good, and are predicting to continue with the kind of successes they saw in 2011. However, 2012 has been something of a late year for France, due to unpredictable weather throughout the summer, and the grapes were ripening considerably later than they did in 2011 (which was, admittedly, an exceptionally early year). French wineries are claiming, though, that this could well turn out to be advantageous, as the slow ripening will allow the resulting wines to express more flavour and features of the terroir they are grown in.
The southern hemisphere has seen ideal climatic conditions in most of the key wine producing countries, and Australia and New Zealand particularly had a superb year, in particular with the Bordeaux varietal grapes that grow there and which love the humidity these countries received plenty of. Also enjoying a fantastic year for weather were wineries across Argentina and Chile, with the Mendoza region claiming that 2012 will be one of their best vintages of the past decade. Similar claims are being made across the Chilean wine regions, where Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon had an especially good year. These two grape varietals also produced characterful wines on the coastal regions of South Africa this year.
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc
One of the most commonly planted and cultivated white wine grape varietals in the world is the Sauvignon Blanc. This green skinned grape originated in southern France, where it is still grown today and produced into exceptionally high quality wines. However, it is also very much a varietal of the New World, and can be found almost anywhere with the correct climatic conditions for it to thrive in. Generally, Sauvignon Blanc grapes prefer cooler climates, and benefit best from an early harvest. Too much exposure to heat causes the juices inside the fruit to lose much of their character, and results in flat, uninteresting wines devoid of the grapes' usual bite and crispiness. In many countries, Sauvignon Blanc grape juices are aged in barrels, and are allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation, which transforms this dry and refreshing, zesty and fruity white wine into something far mellower, more buttery and refined.
Region: Coastal Region
South Africa is a fascinating country for wine, and the coastal regions at the very tip of the African continent are widely regarded as being one of the finest wine regions in the world. It isn't difficult to understand why the early European settlers in the 17th century saw such potential for viticulture in the area; the heat is fantastic, the summer days wonderfully long, the soil rich in minerals, and the strong winds coming from the ocean provide much needed coolness in which the grapes could ripen slowly and fully. Over time, South Africa's coastal regions became covered in strong, healthy vineyards, and today, the wine industry of the region is booming. The past few decades have seen wineries experimenting with a wide range of grape varietals, and also producing fortified wines and sparkling wines of great character alongside their classic varieties.
Country: South Africa
As geographically diverse country, with everything from lush green valleys to areas of arid desert, mountainsides and river estuaries, South Africa unsurprisingly produces a huge range of excellent wines. Regions such as the Breede River Valley consistently impress with their Semillon wines and the lush, fruity Ruby Cabernets grown and processed here, and the cooler region of Overberg is attracting much attention as a result of their silky Pinot Noir bottles. However, all over the oceanic tip of this fascinating country, traditional methods dating back over three hundred years are combining with modern technologies to produce some of the finest examples of New World wines to be found anywhere on the globe.