Raats Family Wines, MR De Compostella, Stellenbosch, South Africa, 2018

Producer Profile

Bruwer Raats is a gentle giant of a man and his reputation is starting to match his stature. His mastery of chenin blanc and cabernet franc is bringing him praise from around the world as "the most exciting and forward thinking winemaker" in Stellenbosch.

As part of the new wave of South African winemakers, Bruwer crafts soil specific wines that embody the unique characteristics of the region. With hand harvesting, whole bunch pressing and using natural fermentation without fining or filtering it helps him create wines that are world class.

Viticulture

The grapes come from Stellenbosch and are grown only on decomposed dolomite granite soils. This lends itself to great acidity, freshness and an extended mineral finish.

Winemaking

The aim with this wine was to take each of the five components and make a varietal wine in it’s 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. The percentage components of the blend were determined by the scores achieved in the blind tasting. The resultant cuvée is called De Compostella (‘The Compilation of Stars’). Each variety spent 12 months in barrel as a single variety wine before the wines were blended. Thereafter the blended wine was matured for another 12 months, giving a total of 24 months in barrel, a third of which was in new French Oak, a further third in 2nd fill and a final third in 3rd fill French oak barrels.

Oak Ageing

Time: 24 Months
Type: French
% wine oaked: 100
% new oak: 33

Tasting Note

Deep, dark intense ruby colour. Blackcurrant and black cherry fruit with hints of violets, cedar and cinnamon. Rich and complex with mineral, black berry fruit and dark chocolate on the finish. Harmoniously composed of sufficient of each of the five Bordeaux varietals to ensure none dominates. This wine shows a consistent, linear flavour profile with a polished finish.

Food Matching

Just exquisite with rib eye or fillet steak!

Awards

Robert Parkers The Wine Advocate 97 Points
Composed of 54% Cabernet Franc, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec, 5% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, the 2018 De Compostella has an expressive nose led by notions of roasted red bell pepper, red cherry skin, turned earth, sage and sweet oak spices. Medium to full-bodied, flavours of pepper skin and graphite sway with Christmas spice and red plum followed by a tight mineral tension and firm gripping tannins across the mid-palate. I can sense the energy of the wine increasing in amplitude as it sits in the mouth, and I find it acting similar to quality Bordeaux wines. The red blend continues to reveal its complexities and layers over the long, lingering and evolving finish. It’s a gorgeous wine that needs time and/or food. Be patient. 97 Points, GS, June 2022.