Wine Advocate 90
"The 2016 Sauvignon Blanc is matured in stainless steel. It has a fresh, linear, Granny Smith apple and fresh lime bouquet that has a sense of joie de vivre. The palate is fresh on the entry with a dash of spice, good weight in the mouth with a vibrant gooseberry and lemongrass-tinged finish."

"This year I met up with Klein Constantia's winemaker Matthew Day at a communal tasting of Constantia wines. For more information on the vineyards and investments made at the historic estate, readers should check out my previous South Africa reports. Following the tasting, I asked him about the differences between the growing seasons apropos the Vin de Constance. "In terms of the difference between the 2012 and 2013 Vin de Constance, there are a couple of factors that come to mind. Firstly, 2012 was a very long, drawn out harvest due to a cold and wet season. It was both the earliest we have ever started picking Muscat and the latest that we have ever finished; whilst 2013 on the contrary was a warm dry season that started late and ended fairly late in the season. Secondly, 2012 was probably one of our smallest crops due to the vines recovering from quite a dramatic change from conventional farming to a more sustainable approach. In 2013 the vines seemed to have adapted and produced a more balanced crop. Thirdly, our new bush vine trellising system came into full production in 2013 and as a result, 30% of the Vin de Constance crop came from bush vines. The benefit of the new system is that due to the shape, you get far higher sunlight exposure that results in raisining happening much quicker, resulting in much better acid levels. Lastly, in terms of winemaking our technique was still fairly similar to 2012, the only exception is that we had stated phase one of winery renovations, which meant that we had some new toys to play with. Ferments were slightly quicker only taking three months to finish as opposed to six months in 2012, as well as a three-year barrel aging period. For me these were the most notable differences."

I then asked Matthew about his Sauvignon Blanc program. Klein Constantia is not just about sweet wine, even though it has always been what you might call the headline act. "In terms of Sauvignon Blanc, the 2015 season was again dry and extremely early; everyone was super excited this vintage right from the start. It was the earliest that we have picked Sauvignon Blanc since 1986 and it was a very quick harvest season ending mid-March. It is also the first year that we have started with our single vineyards program with the idea that we want to express what our true Klein Constantia terroir is all about." The estate has also undergone major renovations. Last time I was there, most of the people seemed to be wearing hard hats. "The construction work in the cellar is now 100% complete and we are very happy with the results. There were three main goals when it came to the design: it needed to be practical, state of the art and hygienic, with the main focus being on making Sauvignon Blanc and Vin de Constance. I feel that the results have been incredible and we are starting to have a more delicate, but focused winemaking approach, which is allowing us to express a more defined Klein Constantia style. The Vin de Constance now has its own designated barrel aging section where we have reintroduced the use of 4,200-liter foudre to compliment the aging in 500-litrr barrels. The next phase is we are going to renovate the tasting room and there is also a plan to put in a small bistro style restaurant. This should all be starting in the next few months, so we are really excited."