Wine Advocate (98)

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota (445 cases) is absolutely magnificent. Opaque black/purple in color, it comes across like a Château Montrose from a great vintage – a very earthy St.-Estèphe-inspired wine with the essence of loamy soil and crushed rocks interwoven with blackberry and cassis fruit. Some oak makes an appearance, but it is pushed to the background by the extravagance and enormous body and extract of this wine of phenomenal intensity. This is a classic Pierre Seillan style of wine meant for 25-40 years of cellaring.

Wine Advocate (97)

Very deep purple-black in color, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard has a compelling savoriness of char-grilled meat and roasted nuts on the nose with a core of crème de cassis, violets and crushed plums plus a touch of garrigue. Medium-bodied and tautly structured with firm, fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness, it has a incredible depth of primary fruit and earthy layers, finishing with incredible length and a lovely mineral hint. 432 cases produced.

James Suckling (97)

This is stunning on the nose with crushed cassis, like creme de cassis, and violets. So beautiful to smell. Medium to full body. Compact, refined tannins flow across the palate to the borders of the wine. All about balance, freshness and purity. One of the best ever. Drink or hold.

Wine Advocate (99)

Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard was aged for 12 months in 100% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, it has a profound yet slightly broody nose to begin, slowly unfurling to reveal wonderfully fragrant notes of wild blueberries, black cherries, dark chocolate and warm cassis, followed by nuances of garrigue, violets, tar and licorice plus a touch of wet stones. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has gorgeous velvety tannins and finely knit freshness supporting generous black and blue fruits, finishing very long and achingly fragrant. Wow. 1,000 cases were made.

Wine Advocate (97+)

Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard spent 12 months in 100% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, it bursts from the glass with bold scents of fresh blackberries, black currants and mulberries plus suggestions of cedar chest, pencil lead, iron ore and truffles, with emerging wafts of crushed rocks and charcoal. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers firm, grainy, exquisitely ripe tannins and seamless freshness supporting layer upon layer of black fruits, finishing on a long-lingering fragrant earth note. 800 cases were made.

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).

Tim Atkin MW (98)

Increasingly celebrated as one of the great sweet wines of the world, not just the Cape, Vin de Constance is a delight to taste and review. Slightly drier than the 205 release at 165 grams of sugar, it has more in common with the Loire or Tokaji than it does with Sauternes in terms of freshness and structure.

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!

James Suckling (97)

Love the sweet berries, black olives, tile and fresh herbs on the nose with floral undertones. Oyster shell, too. Full-bodied with round, creamy tannins that are beautifully polished and refined. Very long finish. All about finesse and wonderful length. 68% cabernet sauvignon, 19% cabernet franc, 10% merlot and 3% petit verdot. Drink after 2023.

James Suckling (95)

Very attractive aromas of dried apricot, citrus rind and cooked apple follow through to a full body with a creamy, layered palate that shows tension and intensity. Really enjoy the phenolic focus and length. Almost chewy. like a red wine. Just a hint of dried peach and nuts at the end. Drink now or hold. Maybe even decant.