2016 Klein Constantia Estate Red South Africa 750 ml

Klein Constantia is hands down South Africa’s best-in-class producer of all things. Founded in 1685, it predates many of the Bordeaux châteaux now considered the gold standard for Cabernet Sauvignon production. The storied estate rocketed back to the spotlight recently when 100-point Bordeaux winemakers Bruno Prats of Château Cos d’Estournel and Hubert de Boüard of Château Angélus took ownership stakes in the revered property.

A vibrant, 94-point cassis- and currant-laden beauty that fuses New World power with European elegance, this 2016 reminded us that nobody competes with Klein Constantia… especially for $24. 

On our last visit to South Africa, we made the short drive from Cape Town to Klein Constantia’s white stucco headquarters, and were greeted with this inky estate blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Shiraz blend. Immediately, the tannin structure sent our minds to Bordeaux’s Left Bank and the Haut-Médoc: firm enough to ensure a half-decade or so of cellaring but integrated enough for immediate consumption. 

With time, wild, savory notes emerged from the glass (as they tend to in the finest clarets) alongside waves of licorice, graphite, cola, and black olive tapenade that cascaded across our palates. 

Blending Old World charm and New World ripeness in perfect measure, Klein Constantia remains a leader in Bordeaux-inspired reds, and finding it stateside is always a happy discovery, since this red rarely escapes the Southern Hemisphere due to its immense popularity at home in the “other” land down under.