Vin de Constance is one of the world's most historically significant sweet wines, produced at Klein Constantia on the slopes of the Constantiaberg above Cape Town, South Africa. The wine was first made in 1689 and went on to become one of the most sought-after wines in eighteenth-century Europe: Napoleon demanded it on Saint Helena, Frederick the Great of Prussia served it at his court, and Jane Austen referenced it in Persuasion. After the original Constantia estate declined in the nineteenth century, Klein Constantia revived the wine in 1986 using Muscat de Frontignan, and winemaker Matt Day has now elevated it to its former legendary status.

James Suckling awarded 98 points, describing 'extraordinary aromas of white peaches, apricots, vanilla and flowers, full-bodied and very sweet with so much sweet and dried fruit, yet maintaining citrusy freshness and texture, with a long, very sweet finish.' Decanter awarded 98, noting 'otherworldly characteristics' and a vintage 'so refined and demure' that it had 'extreme delicacy of perfume and flavour and also staggering concentration and length.' The Wine Advocate awarded 96 and Vinous 96. The 2018 was picked over 60 days, the second most prolonged harvest since the maiden 1986 vintage, with 172g/L residual sugar and 6.2g/L acidity.

The 2018 growing season at Constantia was the coldest and wettest of the preceding six years, granting the Muscat vines a very long, very slow growing season that produced wine of extraordinary delicacy, precision and concentration simultaneously. The 500ml format is the standard presentation for Vin de Constance, reflecting both the wine's sweetness and concentration and the typically small volume consumed per serving. At over seven years of age, the 2018 is in a wonderful phase of development, with the primary fruit integration now complemented by early honeyed, spiced complexity.

Drink from now through 2045. Serve at 10 degrees in a small-bowled dessert wine glass. Excellent with fresh foie gras, blue cheese, apricot-based desserts or as a meditation wine on its own.

Deep gold with amber highlights. The bouquet is extraordinary: apricot puree, white nectarine, yellow peach, grapefruit, acacia blossom, stem ginger and orange zest rise from the glass with heady floral aromas. The palate is medium to full-bodied and unctuous, exploding with sweetness that is perfectly held in check by brisk, lively acidity. The finish is long, ever-evolving and completely captivating.