Prestigious Family Wineries
Live Virtual Auction, 23 July 2023
Prestigious family wineries | Thelema Mountain Vineyards, Raats Family Wines and Savage Wines
About this Item
Mvemve Raats, or MR for short, is a collaboration between Bruwer Raats and Mzokhona Mvemve. De Compostella, meaning ‘field of stars’, is their icon with an international reputation for being a stellar Cabernet Franc-driven Bordeaux blend – with all the trophies to prove it. It stands today as the highest rated Bordeaux-styled red wine from South Africa by the Wine Advocate and was lauded by Neal Martin as ‘one of the most memorable wines in the world’. It was also named one of the Top 10 Reds from South Africa for 4 consecutive vintages in US publication Wine Spectator.
Provenance
Producer
Critics Ratings
'A warm, dry vintage that is reflected in the lower than usual Cabernet Franc and the higher Cabernet Sauvignon portion from a cooler vineyard close to the sea in False Bay. Rich, plush and ultra opulent and expressive but also perfumed and lifted with violets, sweet lavender and sleek polished oak melting into classic Cabernet cassis and saline black berry opulence. Lovely precision and focus but is also sufficiently taut and textured. A wonderfully luxurious style of MR.' - Greg Sherwood MW, 96/100
‘”Our idea is to make a consistent, world class ultra-premium wine,” says Bruwer Raats of MR de Compostella, the wine he makes with Mzokhona Mvemve. No one would deny that they’ve succeeded. Year after year, this Cabernet Sauvignon-based red blend is close to the top of the pile. Built to last, this is an ambitious, stylish, polished wine with restrained power, fine tannins and scented oak. 2022-35.’ – Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2018, 95/100
‘Cassis, blackberry and boysenberry fruit all mingle seamlessly with spicy, herbal tones of licorice root, Maduro tobacco, lightly charred cedar and wood spice on the nose and mouth of this robust wine. The palate is plush and bold in feel, with spicy, well-structured tannins that provide ample support to the ripe black fruit tones and a lingering grip to the close. It's well balanced and all in equal measure, suggesting a wine that's built for the long haul. Drink 2024–2030.’ – Lauren Buzzeo, Wine Enthusiast, 94/100 (Sept 2020)
‘The 2016 MV de Compostella contains the highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon ever, at 63% and it was bottled the first week in May (see the 2015 vintage for the maturation details). It has a strict, almost broody bouquet of dense, graphite-infused black fruit. The palate is more a mixture of red and black fruit and fine-grained tannin, very harmonious in style; touches of pencil lead appear on the precise, sustained finish. While this lacks the sheer precision of the previous vintage, it is a very worthy follow-up.’ - Neal Martin, Vinous, 94/100 (Aug 2018)
'Classic Cape claret now in its 12th vintage. 2016 lives up to name (’Compilation of Stars’). Precision, focus and detail remain hallmarks, as in 2015 (5 stars, 95 pts), plus astonishing array of black fruit flavours on 63/17/12/6/2 blend Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Merlot.’ – Platter’s SA Wine Guide 2019, 4.5* (93 pts)