2016 Constantia Glen THREE
Technical data
This delicious blend was carefully crafted from 58% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, all grown on the estate. It was matured for 17 months in 20% new-, 60% second fill- and 20% third fill French oak barrels. The wine was not fined, but only lightly filtered prior to bottling. This elegant vintage shows the round, velvety texture that has become synonymous to the Constantia Glen THREE, but also has good structure and power meaning that it can be enjoyed in its youth yet also has the capacity to age and develop admirably for another 10 years from the harvest under ideal cellaring conditions.
Alcohol: 14%
Residual sugar: 2,2 g/l
pH: 3,54
Titratable Acidity: 5,2 g/l
Volatile acidity: 0,61 g/l
Harvest summary by winemaker, Justin van Wyk
With a dry growing season leading up to the reasonable early 2016 harvest, and textbook ripening conditions, Constantia Glen managed to reap the fruits of another excellent vintage. Countrywide the 2016 harvest is known as one riddled by drought as a result of lower rainfall throughout 2015, but with our cool climatic conditions high up against the Constantia Mountains, the drier conditions worked in our favour by promoting reproductive growth of our vines. The dry and slightly warmer-than-usual season resulted in smaller berries with increased flavour concentration. Vegetative growth of the canopies was more regulated than usual, allowing for better sunlight penetration and air movement in the bunch zone to ensure excellent conditions for the ripening of healthy grapes.
Harvest was roughly 2 weeks earlier than we normally experience, with the first Merlot coming off the vines on 7 March 2016 and it was also a very action-packed vintage with the Bordeaux varieties all ripening in quick succession. The last block of the Cabernet Sauvignon was picked and processed into the winery on 8 April 2016, bringing a close to the harvest at a similar time to the previous, also slightly warmer vintage. The combination of all these factors resulted in red wines with very good texture, freshness and concentration of ripe-fruit flavours.Â
Colour
Youthful in colour with a dark, deep red core unwinding into a bright and lively garnet rim.
Nose
The nose is forthcoming with expressive dark fruit flavours of blueberry, blackcurrant and plums. Beyond these initial ripe fruit aromas, there is complex collection of savoury dried herb and peppery notes, and an underlying red raspberry perfume. It shouts of elegance.
Palate
The red and black fruit illustrated on the nose follow effortlessly onto a medium-bodied palate where elegant, velvety tannins grip the palate in a vibrant intensity of flavour. There is texture and richness as the wine once again demonstrates the peppery, savoury notes while the wine’s inherent freshness brings about a long, well-defined finish.
This classic Constantia red wine is bold with powerful dark fruit flavours yet possesses old world charm with its delicate herbal fynbos notes and fine-grain tannins.