Klein Constantia’s Vin de Constance 2023 is the estate’s flagship late-harvest natural sweet wine from Constantia, made entirely from Muscat de Frontignan (Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains). The style is defined by grapes left to “naturally raisin on the vine,” and the estate notes it is made without botrytis; roughly 10% of the crop becomes raisins. It is also unfortified, with fermentation stopping naturally around 14% alcohol (listed as 14% in some sources, 14.2% in another).

The 2023 growing season is described as cool and slow-ripening, and the production details point to a long, meticulous harvest: fruit was picked from 14 February through 18 April, requiring “close to 25 passes through the vineyards” (Greg Sherwood MW). Sherwood also reports two weeks of skin contact, then a slow fermentation lasting about two months in 500-litre barrels. Maturation is lengthy: 18 months in 500L barrels (50% new) using French, Austrian, and Hungarian oak, followed by a further year in 4,200L French oak foudres. A technical snapshot given by Sherwood puts residual sugar at 162 g/L, total acidity at 5.9 g/L, and pH at 3.7—numbers that suggest a deliberately rich wine built for balance rather than sheer sweetness.

On the nose and palate, reviewers focus on ripe, dried-fruit concentration alongside freshness. Wine-Searcher highlights “concentrated aromas of dried apricots, pineapple, caramel and honey,” and describes it as “full-bodied with a dense, intense finish, showing spices, limes, dried fruit and some toffee.” In a separate note, Sherwood emphasizes its youthful lift, citing “wonderful youthful, grapey, floral aromatics with a hint of raisin and spice,” and a palate that is “complex and intense… with… table grape, apricot and peach fruitiness.”

While major publication scores for the 2023 weren’t verified in the available material, Sherwood’s verdict—calling it “another iconic sweet wine vintage”—stands out as an excellent, strongly positive assessment of the release.