2020 was a remarkable vintage for red grape varieties at Constantia Glen. It was a somewhat warmer vintage than both the preceding and following vintages, but the quality of fruit was outstanding. It was a slightly earlier than-normal vintage in Constantia due to a warm February that hastened ripening a little. Besides the weather conditions, I for one will never forget the unique challenges we faced during the 2020 harvest season. On 23 March 2020, in the early stages of our red wine harvest, our South African President announced that the country would go into a full lock-down 3 days later to combat the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The announcement struck panic, as there was initially no dispensation offered for the agricultural sector. For 3 days we harvested as much Merlot and Cabernet Franc as we could whilst we still had the labour to do so, but about two-thirds of our estate red wine crop was still hanging on the vines by the time we went into the hard lock-down on 26 March 2020, including all the Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot on the estate. On the morning of this first day of the lock-down, a special dispensation was declared allowing the agricultural sector to continue working to secure the harvest. With “essential service” permits to allow us to continue working, we completed harvesting the red grapes on the estate, with textbook ripening conditions ensuing all the way through until we picked the final block of Cabernet Sauvignon on 9 April 2020. Despite it being an earlier vintage than usual, our vineyards still ripened the grapes optimally and we achieved fantastic phenolic ripeness, which allowed for confident extraction of tannins and flavours during vinification. The reds from this vintage are striking and powerful, yet they possess the typical elegance and finesse that our cool-climate region is known for.

This delicious three-way blend was carefully crafted from grapes grown on the estate. It comprises 65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc and was matured for 18 months in 25% new, 60% 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. It can be enjoyed in its youth, yet it will certainly age and develop admirably for another 8-12 years from harvest, under ideal cellaring conditions.
Alcohol 14.5% | Residual Sugar 2.3 g/L | pH 3.67 | Titratable Acidity 5.30 g/L | VA 0.66 g