Top producers not resting on their Constantia laurels
Most people with an inkling of the history of SA wine would regard the Constantia Valley as the cradle of the country’s wine culture. Its case for this rests less on the lines of “first one there” and more on the role it played in nurturing SA’s incipient fine wine culture.
Simon van der Stel’s farm, which opened up the region, became a model agricultural enterprise. The governor wrote a rule book for wine production, which was probably worth more in terms of driving quality wine standards than the Huguenot influx.
His example, coupled with the region’s viticultural potential and (a century later) Hendrik Cloete’s genius, produced the dessert wine we know today as Vin de Constance. In the late 18th century it became the most sought-after wine in the world.
The region’s glory days didn’t last forever, and by the end of the 19th century Groot Constantia was bankrupt. For most of the 20th century urban encroachment put paid to the region’s pretensions as a wine producer. By the 1980s there was every indication that developers would turn the land into upmarket homes.
It was primarily Duggie Jooste’s acquisition of Klein Constantia and Richard Mueller’s purchase of Buitenverwachting and the host of awards won as soon as the vineyards came into production that changed all this. Constantia suddenly had critical mass. Since then six or so properties have added their weight to the appellation.
Today Constantia is more closely identified with sauvignon than any other cultivar. Time will tell whether this does justice to an appellation as important to SA as the Constantia Valley. Several of the prime examples are unexceptional. Many winemakers battle to achieve full fruit ripeness at acceptable alcohol levels. At the very least, a new way of managing its viticulture is required.
There’s evidence that it can be done, judging from the latest vintages from Klein Constantia. The estate came under new ownership and management in 2011. Since then a massive replanting and cellar renovation programme has been under way. I tasted some of the fruit of that investment recently and, most importantly, wine from individual sites that were separately harvested and separately vinified.
For the first time my reservations about Constantia’s sauvignon potential have been assuaged. The standard release Klein Constantia 2018 is worth every cent of its R125 per bottle.
The 2017 Metis, a joint venture with Loire producer Pascal Jollivet, is a marked step above earlier vintages and delivers Old World finesse with New World intensity.
The 2017 Perdeblokke has real weight and personality, while the Block 382 makes it clear that thoughtful planting and harvesting strategies do make a difference.
Constantia’s leading producers are starting to lift themselves off the laurels that made a comfortable cushion for the previous generation. The expectations of an ever more demanding market are being met by a few of them; the others will have to follow suit.