An exemplar of fine South African wine, Kershaw Deconstructed Syrah Lake District Cartref SH9C 2017 effortlessly evokes elegance and complexity. This rich, ruby-hued Syrah is expertly crafted by Master of Wine, Richard Kershaw, in Elgin, South Africa's coolest wine district, employing the strictest precision viticulture practices.

Hand-harvested, unirrigated fruit from unique soil types give it a distinct mineral complexity, while extended fermentation on the skins bequeaths finesse and depth of flavour. Eluding the common New World Syrah style, the Cartref SH9C offers a tenacious balance akin to a refined yet powerful, Northern Rhône Syrah."

Aged for 10 months in French oak, the resulting vintage radiates enticing aromas of black cherry and violets accompanied by undertones of earthy fynbos. The palate beautifully aligns with the nose, displaying layers of fruit and spice that lead into a lengthy, svelte finish. Truly, the Kershaw Deconstructed Syrah Lake District Cartref SH9C 2017 is a masterstroke in the symphony of winemaking.

Decanter (97)

This has a gorgeous, lifted nose that combines perfumed fruit and oak spice to heady effect. Soft, plush and fresh on the palate, with pinpoint raspberry acidity and lingering rose perfume. It’s matured in barriques and 500-litre French oak barrels, half new, the other half recently used – the oak plays an integral part and it’s applied with great skill. Displaying exceptional tannic finesse, this is a thrilling and emotive Syrah.

Vinous - Neal Martin (91)

From east-facing sandstone soils, the 2019 Sauvignon Blanc Block 382 has an intense nose with bell pepper, flint and quite forward pyrazine scents. The palate is fresh and vibrant, slightly reductive, with that pyrazine element politely loitering off stage. Nice weight and density, this is a great Sauvignon Blanc ageing beautifully in bottle.

Jancis Robinson (17)

Restrained green grassy nose. Super-refreshing and fruity – a pure expression of Sauvignon Blanc. Great balance. Some oak?

Wine Advocate (96)

The 2013 Vin de Constance Natural Sweet Wine was matured in 500-liter barrels for around 36 months. It has a beautiful bouquet with honey, quince, pressed yellow flowers and Mirabelle. It has wonderful definition and purity. The palate is very well balanced with a mellifluous texture and beautifully judged acidity as it just sashays along. It fans out on the finish with honey, quince, a touch of rhubarb and ginger, extraordinarily persistent in the mouth. Matthew Day, current winemaker, opined that he thought the 2012 would be the best ever, but the freshness might see it overtaken. This is awesome.

Tim Atkin MW (96)

South Africa's Sweet Wine of the Year 2017.

Decanter (98)

An historical wine, Vin de Constance has been re-established in the last few years as one of the world’s finest sweet wines. Dried Muscat grapes are aged for three years before bottling, in French and Hungarian casks with a touch of acacia wood. Citrus, orange zest, rosewater and spice notes leap out of the glass. The palate has a laser-like focus with massive sweetness perfectly balanced by acidity and a mineral finish. As impressive as Château d’Yquem (and considerably better value).

Wine Advocate (98)

The Klein Constantia 2016 Vin de Constance is showing beautifully at this moment. Made during a string of devastating drought years, it reveals orange rind, spicy saffron, pickled ginger and a subtle saline lift, while the palate is glossy yet impressively weightless. The estate’s goal of crafting a “dry” sweet wine is evident in the poised balance between sucrosity and freshness, giving the wine a silky, beautifully composed feel. This is a truly memorable experience.

Wine Advocate (98)

The Klein Constantia 2016 Vin de Constance is showing beautifully at this moment. Made during a string of devastating drought years, it reveals orange rind, spicy saffron, pickled ginger and a subtle saline lift, while the palate is glossy yet impressively weightless. The estate’s goal of crafting a “dry” sweet wine is evident in the poised balance between sucrosity and freshness, giving the wine a silky, beautifully composed feel. This is a truly memorable experience.

Tim Atkin MW (98)

"Lighter and lighter" is the motto at Klein Constantia these days, according to Matt Day. The latest, world-class release of Vin de Constance certainly doesn’t lack sweetness at 165 grams or even concentration, but it has a freshness that's reminiscent of Vouvray or Barsac. Subtly wooded in 50% new barrels, it unfurls layers of citrus, toast and tarte tatin, with a drizzle of honey and vivid acidity and palate length. Bravo!

Matthew Jukes (19.5++)

I am informed by the top man at Klein Constantia that the price will be the same as last year’s superb 2017 and all of the likely candidates in the UK are likely to hold stock. It will require a little effort on Google and you will see that a large number of wine merchants will list 2018 Vin de Constance and while the prices swing around like no other wine I know, at £60 or so, for a half litre, it certainly makes sense to me and when you consider the sheer quality of this vintage, it is a bargain for this celestial experience. Stock is likely to arrive in September 2021, but do feel free to register your interest with your preferred wine merchant now. Vintage reports suggest that the build-up to the 2018 harvest brought the highest summer rainfall of the last six years and, combined with some of the coldest night-time temperatures on record, the vines were granted a very long and very slow growing season. These conditions have imbued extreme delicacy of perfume and flavour and also staggering concentration and length in this wine. It also means that the 2018 vintage has otherworldly characteristics and I cannot remember a young vintage tasting so refined and demure. Light bunches and tiny Muscat de Frontignan berries underline just how unusual this vintage was and with a harvest that was a fortnight later than average and crops down by about 15% all of these facts make sense when you taste this ethereal wine. Aged for three years in a combination of 50% new French oak barrels, a small number of acacia barrels, as well as large format foudres, this is both a sensual and also sensitive wine. For a start, the colour is incredibly pale – think a young Sancerre! But the viscosity is amazing when you pour a glass because the liquid moves ever so slightly slower and more deliberately into the glass. The lights come on and the brain fires up immediately and it takes you by surprise just how quickly your olfactory system senses that you are in the presence of greatness. I was in a state of heightened anticipation, long before I raised the glass to my lips and the reward is exquisite. The perfume and palate combine in an astral haze of delight with orange blossom, fig, lemon verbena, wild honey and acacia notes caressing your senses. The texture is super-smooth, incredibly long and unnervingly gentle. It certainly possesses the longest finish I can remember on a Vin de Constance and I have, very fortunately, a tasted huge number of vintages of this wine. If you have never tasted this wine before, please start with this vintage – it will blow your mind. If you have and you are a fan, this is a critical purchase for your collection. I cannot wait to add this wine to my cellar later in the year.

Matthew Jukes (19.5++)

I am informed by the top man at Klein Constantia that the price will be the same as last year’s superb 2017 and all of the likely candidates in the UK are likely to hold stock. It will require a little effort on Google and you will see that a large number of wine merchants will list 2018 Vin de Constance and while the prices swing around like no other wine I know, at £60 or so, for a half litre, it certainly makes sense to me and when you consider the sheer quality of this vintage, it is a bargain for this celestial experience. Stock is likely to arrive in September 2021, but do feel free to register your interest with your preferred wine merchant now. Vintage reports suggest that the build-up to the 2018 harvest brought the highest summer rainfall of the last six years and, combined with some of the coldest night-time temperatures on record, the vines were granted a very long and very slow growing season. These conditions have imbued extreme delicacy of perfume and flavour and also staggering concentration and length in this wine. It also means that the 2018 vintage has otherworldly characteristics and I cannot remember a young vintage tasting so refined and demure. Light bunches and tiny Muscat de Frontignan berries underline just how unusual this vintage was and with a harvest that was a fortnight later than average and crops down by about 15% all of these facts make sense when you taste this ethereal wine. Aged for three years in a combination of 50% new French oak barrels, a small number of acacia barrels, as well as large format foudres, this is both a sensual and also sensitive wine. For a start, the colour is incredibly pale – think a young Sancerre! But the viscosity is amazing when you pour a glass because the liquid moves ever so slightly slower and more deliberately into the glass. The lights come on and the brain fires up immediately and it takes you by surprise just how quickly your olfactory system senses that you are in the presence of greatness. I was in a state of heightened anticipation, long before I raised the glass to my lips and the reward is exquisite. The perfume and palate combine in an astral haze of delight with orange blossom, fig, lemon verbena, wild honey and acacia notes caressing your senses. The texture is super-smooth, incredibly long and unnervingly gentle. It certainly possesses the longest finish I can remember on a Vin de Constance and I have, very fortunately, a tasted huge number of vintages of this wine. If you have never tasted this wine before, please start with this vintage – it will blow your mind. If you have and you are a fan, this is a critical purchase for your collection. I cannot wait to add this wine to my cellar later in the year.

Decanter (98)

Butterscotch, lemon patisserie and peach aromas. Pristine quality to the texture, lively and thrilling, this is a serious, opulent and powerful wine, more on the spiced, nuanced side with aspects of dried herbs, wood scents and bitter lemon and orange with a touch of honeyed lychee. It feels supremely complex and characterful. Sophisticated, layered and balanced with some minerality, a slight graphite edge all of which adds to the whole. It's still extremely youthful but there is real sculpting here, a sense of precision, style and freshness. Well crafted with an extremely long life ahead. A wonder, and one of the best from the estate!

Decanter (98)

Butterscotch, lemon patisserie and peach aromas. Pristine quality to the texture, lively and thrilling, this is a serious, opulent and powerful wine, more on the spiced, nuanced side with aspects of dried herbs, wood scents and bitter lemon and orange with a touch of honeyed lychee. It feels supremely complex and characterful. Sophisticated, layered and balanced with some minerality, a slight graphite edge all of which adds to the whole. It's still extremely youthful but there is real sculpting here, a sense of precision, style and freshness. Well crafted with an extremely long life ahead. A wonder, and one of the best from the estate!

Tim Atkin MW (96)

The latest Vin de Constance is a very good rather than truly great iteration of this famous sweet wine, but that still makes it pretty special. Made with 28 different batches of Muscat de Frontignan, picked over the space of only three weeks because of the hotter vintage, it has honey, barley sugar, guava and apricot flavours, scented oak spices and a finish that combines glycerol with bright acidity.

Tim Atkin MW (96)

The latest Vin de Constance is a very good rather than truly great iteration of this famous sweet wine, but that still makes it pretty special. Made with 28 different batches of Muscat de Frontignan, picked over the space of only three weeks because of the hotter vintage, it has honey, barley sugar, guava and apricot flavours, scented oak spices and a finish that combines glycerol with bright acidity.

Tim Atkin MW (98)

Produced in what Matt Day describes as a "perfect" year from Vin de Constance, featuring a long, cool, three-week harvest, the 2021 release has no botrytis but amazing concentration, freshness and intensity. Combining grapes from 25 batches, this confirms the wine's standing as one of the world's great stickies, with layers of orange blossom, jasmine, quince, marmalade and tarte tatin, 168 grams of residual sugar and remarkable freshness and palate length.