Youthful in colour with a very dark garnet core unwinding into a lively magenta rim.
NOSE
Dark fruit aromas, ripe blackcurrant and juicy black plums underpinned by a fragrance of dried herbs. Beyond the initial ripe fruit flavours, there is lovely savoury complexity and lingering notes of white pepper, graphite, and cedar. The final aroma is that of beautiful floral notes imparted by the Cabernet Franc in particular.
PALATE
The dark fruit flavours and distinct savoury notes on the nose follow effortlessly onto that first sip where elegant, velvety tannins grip the palate in a vibrant intensity of flavour. The excellent richness and concentration of fine-grain tannins is further echoed by an earthy minerality, and
the wine’s inherent freshness brings about a long, well-defined finish. This wine is poised, elegant and possesses old world authenticity with its delicate dried-herb notes that reign in the powerful fruit flavours. The wine comes across as tightly wound in its youth with incredible ageing potential.
TECHNICAL DATA
This delicious three-way blend was carefully crafted from grapes grown on the estate. It comprises 62% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and was matured for 18 months in 30% new, 55% second-fill and 15% third-fill French oak barrels. The wine was not fined, but only lightly filtered prior to bottling to gently mellow the rich tannin structure. This astounding vintage shows beautiful elegance as well as the round, velvety texture that has become synonymous to the Constantia Glen THREE. This means that it can be enjoyed in its youth, yet it will certainly age and develop admirably for another 8-12 years from harvest, under correct cellaring conditions.