‘Bruwer Raats may well be the most exciting and forward-thinking winemaker in Stellenbosch at the moment. No...make that IS the most exciting and forward-thinking winemaker. At times I wonder whether he should be cloned and grafted onto other Stellenbosch winemakers if only to prevent them from making soupy, over-ripe, alcoholic wines that compound the region's image problem.’ Neal Martin, October 2014.
Simon offers the 2014 de Compostella MR below.
High praise and a sentiment that I can but echo. It is rare for a South African estate to focus on two grape varieties when the whole gamut is open to them, but the Raats family in Stellenbosch do just that. More intriguing is the fact that Cabernet Franc is their red grape variety of choice. Indeed, they title themselves specialists in this variety; their stated specialism delivers impressive results…
I am pleased to offer the stunning new release of their Cabernet Franc led blend here, the 2014 de Compostella. De Compostella means ‘field of stars’ and the name is chosen to reflect the fact that this wine, which is a collaboration between Bruwer Raats and Mzokhona Mvemve, draws on selected prime vineyard fruit across the Stellenbosch area. Indeed, the two winemakers go to great lengths to source fruit from old, well-sited, low-yielding vineyards in the Bottelary Hills (Cabernet Franc on decomposed Dolomite granite), Simonsberg (Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot on Table Mountain sandstone) and Jonkershoek (slate soils). This collaboration commenced in 2004, and heralded the first ever ‘de Compostella’, a wine that is still drinking in its prime today.
Each block and varietal is hand-harvested and vinified separately. After 12 months in barrel, each potential component is tasted blind, with any component not making the grade discarded. The blend therefore changes each year dependent on the best sources of fruit. The wine is then returned to barrel for an additional 8-12 months of ageing. A third of the wine is aged in new French oak with the other two thirds in second fill and third fill barrels. For the ‘just released’ 2014 vintage, the blend comprises 41% Cabernet Franc, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Malbec, 14% Merlot and 9% Petit Verdot.
Mvemve sums up this unusual project by saying that MR de Compostella ‘remains a unique project because of its focus on quality rather than style…Each vintage of this wine is different from the next in all attributes except quality, which makes it exciting to take a fresh look at the project every year’. Bruwer adds that ‘when we started this partnership, this type of collaboration did not exist in South Africa. There was no blueprint to making this type of wine, so we had to find our own way.”
The results have been hugely impressively since the start, highlighting not just the value of Cabernet Franc in South Africa, but also demonstrating what can be done if you strive for greater quality. Neal Martin commented when tasting the 2012 vintage that ‘de Compostella was a riveting example of what this region can achieve and frankly put a swath of Stellenbosch wines into sharp relief.’ I totally agree; this is worlds away from so many innocuous and anonymous South African reds that I have tasted. What impresses most here is the poise; finely expressed tannins and fine sense of purity and freshness. Please see my full note below. At this stage, no major critic has reviewed the new vintage and it is yet to be offered widely in the UK.
2014 de Compostella, MR (Mvemve Raats)
£200 per 6 bottle case in bond
A blend of 41% Cabernet Franc, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Malbec, 14% Merlot and 9% Petit Verdot. Showing a deep, purplish red in the glass, the aromas here reveal notes of dark cherry and cassis, with a floral nuances and gentle touch of forest floor. The clarity on the palate is striking; with a velvety core of dark berry fruit, all dark lightly spiced raspberry and dusky loganberry. There is creamy, milk chocolate nuance that adds to the sense of rich fruit and generosity as well as a racy, mineral note that ensures this wine remains fresh and poised, with a long lingering finish. Impressive. Drink 2020 to 2030. (SL)