Description
2020 Raats, MR Mvemve Raats Compostella, Stellenbosch: This wine boasts a deep ruby color and a rich, complex profile, with aromas of blackcurrant, black cherry, violets, cedar, and cinnamon. On the palate, it delivers a harmonious blend of Bordeaux varieties, featuring blackberry fruit, mineral notes, and a dark chocolate finish. The wine offers a consistent, linear flavor profile with a polished, well-defined finish.
Food pairing: Ideal with grilled steaks, lamb chops, or a rich mushroom dish.
Producer Profile
Bruwer Raats founded Raats Family Wines in 2000, and since then has narrowed his focus on Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, with only one blend, The Jasper Red blend. He believed that specialising would lead to success, and this belief was not unfounded, as today, Raats Family Wines is regarded as a leader of South African Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Raats has received consistent local and international accolades and was named Winery of the Year for the 2018 Platter’s Guide with 5 out of 6 wines achieving five-star ratings. As Neal Martin says, ‘Cabernet Franc does not get better than at Raats’.
Reviews
JancisRobinson.com 17
Full bottle an unnecessarily heavy 1,658 g, but it’s good wine! A joint venture between Mzokhona Mvemve and the Raats family. Blend of 30% Cabernet Franc, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 16% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. Vines aged between nine and 22 years on decomposed dolomite granite and Table Mountain sandstone soils. Yield was 3.0-3.5 ton/ha. Apparently the aim with this wine was to take each of the five components and make a varietal wine in its own right. The wines were then tasted blind after one year in barrel. The wines that scored less than 90 points were not considered for the final blend, whose assemblage was determined by the scores in this blind tasting. The name of the resultant blend is De Compostella (The Compilation of Stars). One of the most highly rated red blends in South Africa. Bright garnet. Much mellower on the palate than the Raats Jasper 2020 tasted alongside. Really nicely balanced for current drinking. Great vivacity and a fully integrated blend with a Cabernet signature and perfume and no excess sweetness of oak. Long. Impressive. I see that in the past I have found young examples of this wine pretty embryonic but this 2020 is already pretty gorgeous. Just a shame about the bottle weight! (JR) [07/01/2023]
Anticipated maturity: 2023-2033
