I can’t say this did much to lift my spirits or assuage my chagrin. But it is manifestly a very great wine, a fitting tribute to my departed friend.
I had in fact tasted this before – blind and un-recognizable at the 2022 S1A exam. There is a lightness of touch to the weighty, concentrated fruit and a delicious depth of ginger and muscat fruit. I think I may have mentioned botrytis at the time, but this is clean and fresh without the nuance of noble rot. Keep on learning, it’s the only way out.
Now I need to turn my attention to Richard Ballantyne MW’s latest task, “How would you sell wine in a recession?” Now there’s a question…
So an opening sentence for ten points, “People don’t stop drinking in a recession, but they do drink differently.”
Legless in Burgundy 
That’s interesting
That’s interesting and I’m pleased you posted it.
Have to say there’s something about me (Grumpy Old Git) that is/was sceptical about the ‘’new’’ Constantia so I’m pleased to read that it really is good. I also have to say that I do love sweet wines.
Back in the day (Sotheby’s late 70’s) we sold a lot of the real thing and all of t was bought by Paul Hoar on behalf of a South Africa wine merchant whose name I forget. Did you know Paul? Very nice man who started in the Wine Trade working in Bordeaux working for someone like Sichel then went on to SA.
We (Sotheby’s) sold the cellar of the Duke of Northumberland (or someone like that). Michael went there and catalogued most of it and bought back some unidentifiable bottles plus some of the more interesting ones. We joked that some seemed to have poached eggs in them, such was their age. Those bottles went down the sink. Others were tasted and we tried to identify them (That’s whiskey. No, I think it’s vermouth!!).
Amongst the relatively easy to identify (because it used to come in a fairly distinctive shaped bottle) was a bottle of Constantia which we tried any way! Sadly I can’t say I remember it! We had a lottery the following Xmas and Michael won the empty bottle. He still has it.
Talking of memorable wines the only one I really do remember is 1961 La Chapelle which I think I drank in the early eighties. It was magnificent. And brings me back to Paul Hoar who never tired of reminding me he imported ‘’loads’’ of 61 La Chapelle into SA and sold it for a shilling a bottle. 5p in new money.
Ah Chris, I do sometimes feel I arrived in the wine trade fifteen years too late – an epoch where it becmle quite mainstream and much of the really interesting things ad people were already in their prime, think Kermit Lynch, Spurrier and yes, the Turville team.
I suspect this Constance is a shdow of the realy Constantia, but it’s pretty good. I don’t drink much sweet wine – ill advised for a life-long diabetic! But the occasional sip offers some change, and solace in this case. I suspect that anything great made from Riesling, noble-rotted or not, would put it in its place, but it is a laudable South African renassance.
I have never had 1961 La Chapelle, althjough I did sellt he cellar of peer of the realm ( a friend’s father) a couple of years back in which were stacked a pile of bottles and magnums of La Chapelle going back to the early 70’s with lots lf 1978. Now to valuable to taste – and even more amusingly, Rudy Kurniawan bought some off me (this was in 2006) and presumably put some smart new labels on. The irony has never been lost on me.
As memorable bottles go, a 1953 Lafite sticks in my mind. Not only was it great, but also one of the last I shared with my mother. Proving perhaps that place and moment are integal to memories of greatness.
regares,
M