Bruwer Raats

Raats Family Wines in the Polkadraai Hills Releases a Stellar Line-up of New 2024 and 2025 Vintages…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Few South African producers have committed themselves to a pair of cultivars as completely as Stellenbosch producer Bruwer Raats. Since founding Raats Family Wines in 2000, he has worked almost exclusively with Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, and built his reputation on the decomposed Granitic soils of the Polkadraai Hills, back then a little-regarded corner of Stellenbosch facing False Bay.

Bruwer Raats in his Eden Cabernet Franc vineyard.

For collectors, Bruwer’s Eden High Density Single Vineyard range has become the summit of Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc quality. Planted in the late 2000s just behind the family home, these densely planted, individually staked vines were designed strictly for quality from the start. The Eden Chenin Blanc, from 0.6 hectares, is textural, savoury and tightly focused, with a long pithy finish and the poise to age. The Eden Cabernet Franc comes from a mere 0.2 hectares and is made in tiny quantities, often just a few hundred bottles. It is always highly perfumed, fine-tannined and elegant, which explains not only its cult following but also its place among the Cape’s most sought-after red wines.

The Vlag Vineyard Selection Cabernet Franc offers a complementary expression of Polkadraai Hills fruit. It is slightly more accessible in availability, and a good way to understand the Raats house style before pursuing the rarer Eden bottlings. Across all the range, the signature is precision over power, or as Bruwer puts it, ‘quality by design,’ which makes these wines compelling additions for any fine wine collectors’ cellar!

Walking the Eden vineyard with Bruwer.

I spent two days with Bruwer in August 2026 and tasted through all his new releases. I also walked the Eden vineyard to inspect the new plantings that are being planned, the soil currently under preparation. 

Raats Family Wines Proxima Centauri Chenin Blanc 2025, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.

This special Chenin Blanc cuvee made by Sam Raats forms the fourth official release of the Proxima Centauri range specially released to the Raats Family Wines tasting room and mailing list membership. The 2025 cuvee is made from two vineyards in the Polkadraai Hills, 85% from bush vines in the ‘Bluegums’ vineyard (on mostly sandy Granitic soils) and 25% from ‘Somerlus’ vineyard grown on complex Granitic soils with more clay content that adds an extra layer of richness and power to the wine. Aged for 11 months in 300 litre second fill French oak barrels with tight grain and blonde toasting, the aromatics are quite entrancing, the tight grained French oak spice melting away into white peach, bruised yellow orchard fruits, delicately savoury leesy biscuit notes and wet straw nuances. The palate stops you dead in your tracks – intense, piercing and polished with an incredible concentration of peach and quince fruits, waxy bergamot lemons and sour yellow plums. Astonishing freshness, fruit power and focus all assembled with an incredibly deft, finessed touch. Simply a masterpiece of winemaking. Drink now to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Sneak preview tasting of the MR de Compostella 2024 and 2025 barrel samples with Bruwer Raats.
An unlabelled Raats Family Wines Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2025.

Raats Family Wines Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2025, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.

Made from three blocks of Chenin Blanc with an average age of 55 years old, this 2025 release was 50% whole bunch pressed into neutral oak barrels and aged for 11 months after natural yeast fermentation. A 30% component was fermented in a concrete egg and aged for 11 months on its lees, with the remaining 20% fermented and aged for 11 months in stainless steel tanks. The aromatics on this 2025 Chenin Blanc show a delightfully floral, peachy lift defined by a beautiful purity and clarity, with delicate hints of honied quince, pear and apple puree nuances developing in the glass. The palate shows a harmonious breadth and depth, cool, creamy and seamlessly glycerol and fleshy in the mouth with wonderful precision, peachy fruit phenolics and a finely integrated oak spice all tightly woven together by a bright, crystalline tangy acidity. More sophisticated than showy, this is a confident, self-assured wine with a clear and present pedigree on display. Drink not to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Raats Family Wines Eden High-density Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2024, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.

The 2024 Eden Chenin Blanc was aged 30% in a new 500 litre Chassin French oak barrel for 11 months with the remaining 70% aged in concrete egg. The aromatics are incredibly complex and sophisticated interweaving hints of peach skins, waxy yellow apples and sappy sandalwood spices before a more pronounced top note of orange peel and honeycomb emerge from the glass. The palate is cool, supple and silky soft, the acids harmoniously fresh and integrated with a delicately fleshy tangy intensity alongside dried guava and sweet orange peel notions. A bold, regal wine that slowly reveals its complexity and sophistication at its own pace, finishing with a subtle mineral Granitic suggestion. A super premium, classical 2024 vintage Chenin Blanc where power and muscle is replaced with elegance and finesse and the fruit weight shines with a real purity, transparency and persistency making this a real pleasure to enjoy already in its youth. Drink on release to 2038+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Raats Family Wines Proxima Centauri Red Blend 2024, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13.5% Abv.

The red blend in the Proxima Centauri range is a room for experimentation for Sam Raats, changing in character slightly every year. This year, inspired by Mendoza, Argentina, the blend sees a tilt toward experimenting with 60% Malbec in the cuvee sourced from the Baken Block in the ‘Bluegum’ vineyard planted in 2008, with 40% Cabernet Franc coming from the Vlag Block on the Carinus farm across the road from the Raats cellar, planted in 2021. The single barrel blend was aged in a 300-litre used neutral oak French barrel for 18 months. The aromatics are lifted and plush, deliciously hedonistic with rich textured notes of sappy Malbec black berry fruits, black currant, graphite and black chai tea nuances before being pierced with an arrow line of Cabernet Franc musky perfume and cedar lead pencil spice. The palate is crisp and bright, medium bodied with a crunch, a linear acidity and a chalky, powdery tannin texture supported by backing notes of red currant, black currants and sour plum fruits. This is a majestically pure, chiselled wine with all the clarity and precision of the 2024 vintage – both linear, fresh and fabulously polished and tight grained on the long bright finish. A complex, well-constructed counterpart to the Proxima Centauri Chenin Blanc. Drink from 2027 to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Raats Family Wines Vlag Vineyard Selection Cabernet Franc 2024, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13.5% Abv.

Sourced from two vineyards on the Vlaeberg mountain, one planted in 2002 on high mid-slopes, and the other from a mid-slope vineyard planted in 2008. 33% open tank fermentation and then transferred to a new 500 litre Chassin French oak barrel as well as several older neutral older barrels. 33% was fermented and aged in concrete tanks, with the remainder tank fermented and then aged in 2500 litre French oak fourdre. The aromatics on the 2024 are incredibly taut, tight and restrained, almost smoky from the dusty Granitic spice, before hints of saline black currant, maritime sea breeze, lead pencil cedar and nori kelpy spice. The texture is tight grained, stony but also finely polished with powdery tannins, fresh linear acids and a chiselled nervy finish. The purity is impressive, showing a medley of black berry fruits, black currants and a kiss of pithy sappy black cherry all wrapped in a beautifully suave, chalky, powdery mineral frame. All the class and sophistication you would want from a premium Cabernet Franc along with 2024’s purity and mineral laden character. Drink on release to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Raats Family Wines Eden High-density Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2024, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.

This tiny 0.2 Ha Single Vineyard planted in 2009 right next to the Raats cellar on the Vlaeberg Road, is a high-density block with 8,000 vines per hectare. With the first vintage made in 2014, this 11th vintage shows all the regal grandeur, precision and opulence of a genuinely global iconic benchmark Cabernet Franc site capable of rivalling anything produced from this cultivar any where in the world. With only circa 500 litres made, the wine goes into a new Chassin tight grained lightly toasted French oak barrel for 11 months, before being transferred into a 5th fill of exactly the same barrel for another 9 months. The aromatics are incredibly complex and suave, revealing a sophisticated, super-premium character with a finely poised mix of violets, pink musk, gun flint, black berries, blueberries and a kiss of tight grained, almost Burgundian oak spice. This smells premium and also tastes super premium, with the palate showing an incredibly fine-grained texture, powdery chalky tannins and a refreshingly bright well integrated acidity. Where many 2024 reds show light touch intensity and linearity, this Eden Cabernet Franc reveals extra dimensions of fruit concentration, refined elegance, length and structure. Simply benchmark quality for this cultivar once again. Drink now to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Raats Family Wines are imported into the UK by Alliance Wines.

Bruwer Raats Profiles His Stunning New MR de Compostella 2023 and Vesperi 2024 Releases in London…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

A recent recipient of the ‘Winemaker of the Year’ award, Bruwer Raats has carved out a niche for high-quality wines from the decomposed Dolomitic Granite soils of the Polkadraai Hills in Stellenbosch, in what he refers to as a focus on ‘terroir not trend’.

His collaboration with Mzo Mvemve has brought about the MR de Compostella, one of the most critically successful red wines produced in South Africa, the pinnacle of the Cape Bordeaux Blend category, which was recently joined by the MR Vesperi White Blend. 

With both the MR de Compostella 2023 and second release Vesperi 2024 hitting the market soon, I took the opportunity to taste these two new releases with Bruwer Raats on his recent trip to London. I’ve now tasted the new MR 2023 red four times over the past 6 months and am convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this 2023 is one of Bruwer and Mzo’s most serious creations to date… not to be missed!! 🍷

MR Vesperi 2024, WO Polkadraai Hills, Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.

This second edition of the “white MR” is a similar blend to the maiden 2023 but possess a slightly higher Chenin Blanc portion at 41%, alongside 37% Sauvignon Blanc and 22% Semillon, that was matured for nine months in older oak barrels. While the oak and vanilla spice is perceptible, it’s also beautifully integrated with alluring aromatics of lime blossoms, lemon cordial, hints of waxy bergamot citrus, before more savoury, biscuity notes of nutty lees, wet straw and yellow orchard fruits. With the Sauvignon Blanc picked opulently ripe, its no surprise that the palate entry leads with more intense green fruit notes of greengage and orange citrus before the Chenin Blanc and Semillon slowly assert their presence. Broad and fleshy in the mouth, the balance is impressively harmonious and the fruit acid integration seductively seamless. Vibrant and noticeably chiselled on the finish, this is such a wonderfully accomplished addition to the lucrative Cape white blend category. Drink the Vesperi on release and over the next decade.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

MR de Compostella 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

The 2023 MR de Compostella, or Compilation of the Stars is another 5-way blend of 30% Cabernet Franc, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Malbec, 17% Petit Verdot and 8% Merlot. With all fruit picked in prime condition long before the late harvest rains descended, this 2023 stands as one of the most fascinating MRs Bruwer and Mzo have produced since the maiden 2004. Sharing many aromatic, flavour, and textural similarities with previous vintages like the 2013, 2018 and the 2021, this 2023 is beautifully fragrant with top note aromatics of violets, rose petals, sweet cedar, crushed cranberries, saline crème de cassis and black cherry fruits that melt away into hints of dried herbs, graphite, and sweet tobacco leaf. Medium to full bodied, the palate shows a sleek strictness, a polished, elegantly restrained silky texture over an incredibly taut, powerful, titanium skeletal frame. The tannins are fine grained, tight knit and tensile but never grippy or chunky. This wine possesses a different kind intensity and muscular power – one shaped by pedigree, classicism, and restrained wound spring tension. This could well be one of the most “serious” MRs assembled to date… and I absolutely love it. Pop this one in your cellar for a few years while you enjoy the MR 2020 or the 2022.

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Raats Family Wines and MR de Compostella wines are imported and distributed to the wine trade in the UK by Alliance Wines.

The New Raats Family Wines High Density Eden Single Vineyard 2023 Wines Rated and Reviewed…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Eden range was originally held up as statement wines by Bruwer Raats and others as perfect examples of what the Cape’s best terroirs could yield with relatively young vines if they are planted on the correct sites, with the correct rootstocks at the correct density. ‘Quality by design’ was and remains Bruwer’s mantra as well as his answer to the Old Vine movement, which, however admirable the cause, started to steal all the limelight and all the wine critic column inches away from top producers “planting the old vines of the future” as Bruwer put it so succinctly. 

With first vintages released with the 2014 vintage, we roll the clock forward now to mark the release of the 2023 vintage, and they’re another cracking set of wines that are sure to sell out immediately on release both locally and internationally yet again.

Bruwer in London launching the Eden 2023 vintages.

Eden High-Density Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2023, WO Polkadraai Hills, 12.5% Abv.

They don’t call Bruwer Raats the Chenin King for nothing! This incredible high-density Chenin Blanc comes from a small 0.6-hectare block planted in 2009 and was matured 60% in concrete egg and 40% in new oak. The aromatics are beautifully detailed with top notes of white peach, honeysuckle, white blossoms and dusty granitic minerality with subtle hints of wet straw, yellow apples and a leesy biscuit nuance. In the mouth, this majestic Chenin Blanc is broad and mouth coating, filling the palate with yellow stone fruits, peach and green apples, pithy phenolics and a classic Polkadraai Hills wet stone minerality on the long, lingering finish. This is another phenomenal Chenin Blanc release from Bruwer Raats, that comfortably sits amongst the country’s top examples. Drink on release and over the next 15+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Eden vineyard at sunrise in July 2025 with the chickens keeping the vineyard pest free and fertilised.

Eden High-Density Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2023, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.

The 10th vintage of this incredible single vineyard Cabernet Franc can leave no doubts in any critics’ mind that this wine ranks among the finest Cabernet Franc reds produced anywhere in the world. Sourced from a tiny 0.2-hectare vineyard in the Polkadraai Hills, the fermentation sees a small amount of whole bunch fermentation before being matured in one new barrel for circa 10 months before a further passage of time in older used barrels. The aromatics are beautifully intense and seductive with fragrant perfumed notes of violets, cherry blossoms, lavender, and incense before a cornucopia of red and black berry fruits, pink musk, potpourri, and cranberry emerge. In the mouth, the full power and majesty of this impressive wine are laid bare for all to see, with a piercing small berry fruit concentration that’s tightly wrapped in a fresh, bright tangy acidity. Incredible focus and precision on display with subtle earthy hints of tilled earth, porcini mushrooms, led pencil, blood orange and ruby grapefruit nuances on the long velvety finish. A more sophisticated and polished Cabernet Franc you simply will not find. Drink on release and over the next 15 to 20 years.

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Raats Vlag Vineyard Selection Polkadraai Hills Cabernet Franc 2023, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13.5% Abv.

The Raats maiden release Vlag 2022 Cabernet Franc cuvee took the market a little by surprise last year, but fairly swiftly, this wine gained a solid momentum and sold out very quickly. The grapes come from two Vlaeberg vineyards in the Polkadraai Hills, close to the Raats Family winery. One third was matured in concrete egg, one third in foudre and one third in oak barrels with a small percentage of new oak. The aromatics are fabulously lifted and perfumed, packed full of violets and rose petals, fresh pencil shavings, and dried herbs over notes of red currants, black currants, black cherry, and spicy cedar. The palate is tightly interwoven, the fruit, acid, and tannin balance simply seamless, boasting an impressive concentration and density that’s fine boned, incredibly detailed, and precise. This striking 2023 feels more integrated and ‘complete’ compared to the 2022 at the same moment in time, suggesting a very successful future lies ahead. Drink this beauty on release and over the next 10 to 15+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Raats Eden wines are imported into the UK by Alliance Wines and offered pre-release to private clients by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines.

Boutique Winery Bruwer Vintners Reaches New Quality Heights with Their 2024 Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

In celebration of their Bruwer family heritage, cousins Bruwer Raats and Gavin Bruwer Slabbert created Bruwer Vintners in 2014.  Their guiding mission was to master South Africa’s heritage varietals, namely Pinotage, Cinsault and Chenin Blanc / Semillon blends to express their heritage and terroir in a modern interpretation.

The Bruwer Vintners’ white and red releases have been incredibly solid, well made, classical expressions from the very beginning, but from the 2024 vintage we see a notable, and quite frankly, unexpected step up in quality, focus and intensity. I visited the winery in July 2025 to taste but sadly Gavin wasn’t available for me to quiz him on how exactly he’s managed to dial up the quality of his entire range. But the quality shift is undeniable. But don’t just take my word for it, seek out these new releases and discover some incredibly exciting new wines. 

Bruwer Vintners Haarlem to Hope 2024, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv. 

A white blend of 75% Chenin Blanc and 25% Semillon, with a portion of the Chenin Blanc fermented and aged in concrete, differentiating the 2024 from previous vintages. The wine is incredibly mineral and smoky on the nose, full of crushed granite, dried herbs, fynbos, tangerine peel and crunchy green apples. In the mouth, this blend is delightfully cool, pure and precise on the palate with a real sense of confidence and harmony, a wine fully at ease with itself. Super tangy, fresh and bright, the crystallinity resonates in the wine with such purity, streamlined tension and focus. This is an incredibly accomplished white blend that benefits from its new maturation tweaking. Drink now to 2035+.  

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW) 

Bruwer Vintners Lone Wolf Cinsault 2024, WO Stellenbosch, 12% Abv. 

Old vine Cinsault from the 1953 Bellevue vineyard, this wine is always a star performer in the Bruwer Vintners range. Aged in two 500 litre barrels for 10 to 12 months, the 2024 is already incredibly perfumed and precise, bursting with violets and rose petals, potpourri, Turkish delight, blood orange and juicy ripe cranberries with an intricate undertone of granitic mineral spice. The oaking is very much an afterthought, the palate deliciously fresh, pure and vibrant with an incredible intensity and concentration that all melts together so seamlessly into a wonderfully complete wine. This 2024 rises to new levels of vibrancy, energy, and vivacity, showing off the very best components of this heritage Cinsault block. Drink now and over the new next 10 to 15+ years. 

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Bruwer Vintners Liberte Pinotage 2023, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.

This new expression saw a reduction of the whole bunch portion to circa 15% with longer ageing in older barrels, with 18 months maturation allowing the wine to integrate and find a better balance. The results of these small stylistic tweaks reveal themselves on the nose and palate, the aromatics boasting an extra dimension of freshness and bright red berry fruit with hints of cranberry and succulent red cherry, red plums and red currants. Delicious brightness and energy, youthful vivacity and purity that truly champions this modern fruit forward styling of premium Pinotage. Drink on release and over the next 8 to 10 years.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Bruwer Vintners Lone Wolf Syrah 2024, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.

The 2024 sees a 100% whole bunch styling, fermented in open top fermenters before being aged in older 300 litre barrels for 12 months. This Karibib block yields and incredibly pure and intense expression of Syrah with dense black berry fruits, sweet black peppercorns, black olive tapenade and savoury, meaty bruleed oak spice notes. The palate is beautifully fresh and vibrant, creamy and mineral with such a beautiful weightless concentration, a deliciously chalky, creamy minerality that melts away into a sweet, savoury, red and black berry fruit concentration with gentle hints of maritime salinity and seashore kelp. The aromatics definitely trade on intense perfume and purity rather than savoury, smoky bruleed notes, which keeps the wine incredibly fresh, vibrant and energetic. A really mouth watering expression of Syrah from Bruwer Vintners that takes the quality up another notch. Drink now and over the next 8 to 10 years.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Bruwer Vintners wines are imported into the UK by Alliance Wines.

Raats Family Wines Releases Two New Wines For Its Wine Club – Tasting the Raats Proxima Centauri Red and White…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

A new range started by Sam Raats in 2022, some experimental wines were initially offered to the Raats wine club. Named Proxima Centauri to represent the proximity of the next generation of the Raats family in the continuum of the family business, the first vintage was a small production Chenin Blanc in 2022.

Two new wines made by next generation winemaker Sam Raats for the Raats Family Wines Wine Club membership.

The next releases are the 2023 Red Blend and a 2024 Chenin Blanc from the Fountain vineyard (circa 1 hectare) that makes the Raats Cape Winemakers Guild offering together with some fruit from the Raats Old Vine Chenin Blanc vineyard, both in the Polkadraai Hills ward.

Raats Family Wines Proxima Centauri Chenin Blanc 2024, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.

The 2024 consists of a single 225 litre 5th fill French oak barrel in which the wine was barrel fermented and aged for circa 10 months yielding only 270 bottles. The aromatics are impressively rich and complex, intricately layered with notes of white peaches, waxy green apples and tangerine peel over hints of wet straw, dried herbs, bay leaves and a very subtle dusty mineral granitic undertone. The wine is crisp and structured in the mouth, chiselled and taut with a fabulously bright acidity, layers of sweet orange peel, naartjie and granny smith apples. Beautiful vibrancy, full of energy with a long piercing tangy concentration on the finish. A very individual and impressive Chenin Blanc. Drink from 2025 to 2034+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Raats Family Wines Proxima Centauri Red Blend 2023, WO Stellenbosch, 13.3% Abv. 

Fruit sourced from a single block of Bottelary Hills Cabernet Sauvignon that normally goes to the MR de Compostella. Two barrels were made but one was sacrificed to the MR blend. The remaining barrel was blended with some Polkadraai Hills Merlot from a vineyard that also normally contributes to MR as well, making up a final blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot that was aged for 18 months in a single 300 litre French oak barrel before bottling. The aromatics are incredibly perfumed and spicy, showing red and black berry fruits, sweet cedar, lead pencil, iodine and graphite nuances. Hints of sweet dried herbs and wet stone minerality follow to the palate that is deliciously fresh, lithe, and supple, light on its feet, vibrant and full of vivacity, showing tangy red currant fruits, sweet damson plum, pithy black currant and a sleek stony minerality. Young and embryonic at the moment but shows an elegant exuberance that promises to age incredibly well over the next 10+ years. (370 bottles produced with a few magnums)

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Contact Bruwer@raats.co.za to receive more information on joining the Raats Family Wines membership list.

The 20 Year Wait is Over as MR de Compostella Launches Its Maiden Vesperi 2023 White Blend…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

Over the decades, there have been a few new South Africa fine wine releases that developed into epoque defining creations. One such wine was undoubtedly the 2006 release of the 2004 vintage MR de Compostella Cape Bordeaux blend made by Bruwer Raats of Raats Family Wines and Mzokhona Mvemve, the erstwhile University of Stellenbosch graduate. Together, they set about creating a classical red wine that at the time was not only the most expensive premium cuvée on the market from South Africa but was also one of the most uncompromisingly quality focused expressions produced by any winery in the Cape capable of shattering the glass ceiling of consumers’ quality perceptions.

The new MR de Compostella Vesperi 2023 white blend.

The first MR de Compostella release was followed not long after by another game-changing wine with a big-ticket price tag, namely The Jem 2004 from the Waterford Estate. Whereas the MR de Compostella seemed a perfectly conceived and expertly executed classical blend, The Jem was a slightly more excentric and exotic blend built around Cabernet Sauvignon (which has always been the wine’s backbone) at around 40%, followed by Shiraz at 20%, with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot in the teens and Mourvèdre and Barbera in single digit percentages. With eleven varieties on the farm, The Jem normally used eight of these varieties to build up the layers of the wine.

Bruwer and Mzo in London for the Vesperi launch.

While neither of the above wines can claim to have achieved instant global success, The Jem was for several years viewed very much by fine wine buyers as a work in progress, whereas the MR de Compostella Bordeaux styled blend instantaneously nailed its colours to the mast and made its long-term intentions and aspirations of fine wine dominance very clear. It wanted to be able to compete with the finest wines of the world on a consistent basis, and if this was not possible in any given vintage, the wine would not be produced. Roll on 20 years and MR de Compostella is firmly established as one of the most respected premium boutique Cape Bordeaux blends produced in South Africa with notionally the consistently highest international critical ratings for any single wine from the Cape according to Bruwer Raats

It only took another 20 years until Bruwer and Mzokhona finally decided to craft and release a premium white blend under the MR Vesperi label, producing a white blend made from Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Semillon as a true homage to the great whites of Bordeaux, but with a little Chenin Blanc to add a bit of South African flavour. With all three cultivar components sourced from seven different plots in the Polkadraai Hills, the wine retains a beautiful signature decomposed granite wet stone minerality and tension from start to finish. The MR de Compostella Vesperi 2023, meaning “evening star” in Latin, keeps with the wider ‘constellation of stars’ theme.

Benchmarking the Vesperi against some top French Bordeaux talent at 67 Pall Mall.

Mvemve Raats Vesperi White Blend 2023, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.

After a 21-year wait, the maiden vintage Mvemve Raats Vesperi white blend 2023 has finally been released, named after “the evening star” in Latin. Inspired by the great white blends of Bordeaux, the Vesperi includes a little local South African flavour in the form of 34% of Chenin Blanc to accompany the 33% Sauvignon Blanc and the 33% Semillon portions harvested from seven individual plots grown on decomposed Granite soils in the Polkadraai Hills ward. The Chenin Blanc was whole bunch pressed and fermented in a combination of concrete and used oak barrels, while the Sauvignon Blanc was picked fully ripe at around 14% potential alcohol and was fermented on its skins for around seven days before being basket pressed and transferred to oak barrels to finish fermentation and maturation. The Semillon was picked earlier, at 11% potential alcohol, to add a real citrus vivacity, freshness, and linearity to the wine, keeping more in common with Hunter Valley Semillon than the more glycerol, unctuous, lanolin-styled dry Semillons from Bordeaux. The individual components were aged for 10 months on their fine lees before each barrel was assessed blind for the final selection and assemblage.

The concluding blend is an incredibly accomplished, food-friendly fine wine offering a style that structurally has many white Burgundy parallels while never departing too far away from classical, premium, white Bordeaux expressions like those produced at Chateau Cheval Blanc and by the Guinaudeau family at Chateau Lafleur. On first opening, there are plenty of youthful, flinty, struck-match reductive hints interspersed with classic Polkadraai Hills wet stone minerality and crushed granite dustiness before notes of dry hay, dried green herbs, lemon grass, lemon curd, freshly baked pastries, and white peach start to emerge. The palate is full and assertive, yet incredibly well balanced and classical with notes of white citrus, waxy lemon and lime, buttered white toast and pithy yellow grapefruit marmalade on the long, focused, mineral finish. This is a very impressive debut and undoubtedly represents another formidable and noteworthy chapter in the history of modern premium white blends in the Cape. Drink on release and over the next 10 to 15+ years. (175 Cases produced.)

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Raats Family Wines and MR de Compostella wines are imported into the UK by Alliance Wines.

Another Class Act from Raats Family Wines – Tasting their New MR de Compostella 2022…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

Raats Family Wines is now considered a world leader in premium Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc production. But if you know Bruwer and Mzokhona, you’ll realise they’re both mad keen on Bordeaux blends, kindred spirits that fostered the MR de Compostella partnership in the early noughties, culminating with the maiden release in 2004.

For their latest release, a cool wet October and November 2021 saw above average rainfall leading to vigorous growth in the vineyards which required extra work to manage canopies. January and February 2022 saw multiple heat spikes in keeping with more ‘normal’ vintage conditions in the Cape. There was some variable ripening across cultivars and plots ultimately leading to a fairly late, drawn-out harvest season which began slightly later than predicted. The resulting 2022 wines show a density and concentration rather than heaviness with well integrated harmonious acids and a friendly accessibility.

Tasting with Bruwer and Mzokhona in London to launch the MR de Compostella 2022.

MR de Compostella Cape Bordeaux Blend 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

Another year and another incredible red release from what has to be South Africa’s most consistent premium brand. The 2022 MR de Compostella is a blend of 23% Cabernet Franc, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Malbec, 4% Petit Verdot and 9% Merlot sourced from 10 to 25 years old vines grown on decomposed granite and clay / sandstone soils in Stellenbosch. The aromas of this classy red are complex and utterly seductive with delicately interwoven layers of sweet cedar, graphite, lapsang tea, and iodine before hints of wet undergrowth, tilled earth, damson plum and saline creme de cassis. The palate is deliciously tight knit, fine grained and intense with salty black currant, tart black cherry, hints of Christmas cake, smokey cured meats and subtle sweet vanilla oak spice nuances. The focus of this beautiful wine recalls the elegance and pinpoint weightless precision of the 2017 vintage bolstered by a sleek, sumptuous, fleshy accessible opulence not dissimilar to the incredibly popular 2020 vintage. Just when you think the Cabernet Sauvignon is going to assert its own unique character, then the silky, creamy, perfumed elegance of the Cabernet Franc re-emerges assertively to bestow this fabulous vintage with flesh, concentration and an elegant seductive depth. Always a tough act following an iconic vintage like 2021, but 2022 succeeds immaculately. Well done to the MR team once again. Drink from 2025 to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW) 

The MR de Compostella and Raats Family Wines are available to the wine trade in the UK from Alliance Wines and retail from South African specialist merchant Museum Wines.

Raats Family Wines Raises the Cabernet Franc Stakes Still Higher with the Release of their Maiden Vlag Vineyard Selection Cuvée 2022 Alongside their Eden Single Vineyard Icon…

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When Bruwer Raats set out in 2000 to champion Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, who would have thought he would be where he is today, having claimed the premium high ground so successfully, consistently producing arguably some of South Africa’s best Chenin Blanc whites and certainly South Africa’s most respected Cabernet Franc reds. Indeed, when it comes to this once quirky Loire red cultivar, Bruwer’s Raats Family Wines Cabernet Franc and Raats Eden High Density Cabernet Franc must surely be regarded as some of the most profound Cabernet Franc expressions produced anywhere in the world today, including in the motherland region of the Loire itself.

Mini Eden Cabernet Franc vertical – 2017, 2020 and 2022.

Over the past decade, the consumer tide has certainly turned back in favour of premium Cabernet Franc, with its delicate floral perfume, subtle leafy red and black fruits, and its suave, elegant sensual texture all built around fine silky tannins and a mouth-watering acidity. The mean, green pyrazines of years gone by have been well and truly banished both in South Africa as well as across Europe where sales of Cabernet Franc wines are once again flourishing. One needs to look no further than the cultivar’s newly found planting popularity in Bolgheri and Coastal Tuscany to witness its broad international appeal in not only Bordeaux blends but in single varietal wines as well.

The UK launch tasting at La Trompette Restaurant in London.

The latest new release tasting took on extra meaning this year with the introduction of Bruwer Raats’ first new wine for almost a decade. It was of course 10 years ago with the 2014 vintage that Raats Family Wines launched the high-density single vineyard Eden Chenin Blanc and Eden Cabernet Franc, which is now finally being joined by the maiden Vlag Vineyard Selection Polkadraai Hills Cabernet Franc 2022, that Bruwer describes as “a celebration of Cabernet Franc… but executed in a new style.” The wine is a blend of two single Polkadraai Hills vineyards, one from lower slope vines planted in 2008 and one from high mid-slope vines planted in 2002. The resulting wine was aged in 33% concrete egg, 33% oak barrels (8% new French), and 33% in large foudre. The new releases are expected to retail in the UK for £75 per bottle for the Vlag and £115 per bottle for the Eden (R1,600 and R2,950 per bottle in South Africa). Both will be extremely tightly allocated as per usual.

Raats Family Wines Vlag Vineyard Selection Polkadraai Hills Cabernet Franc 2022, WO Polkadraai Hills, Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.

A fabulously rich, perfumed aromatics with plenty of fine detail, revealing an intriguing depth and power but also a crystalline clarity and purity of fruit. There is initially a subtle earthy, savoury black fruited note on opening which soon gives way to more elaborate aromas of pressed violets, cherry blossom, rose petals, thyme and hints of sandalwood and sweet cedar spice. This is an architectural masterpiece with finer lines and a more harmonious symmetry than even Enzo Ferrari could ever have conjured up. Beautifully weightless and texturally caressing in the mouth, the tannins are grippy, incredibly fine grained, but equally silky soft, balancing the complex layers of saline cassis, red currant, and red cherry fruit concentration to perfection. A wine with not only incredible precision but also a vibrant energy that is brought to life by seamlessly integrated zippy acids. Quite simply, this wine is an absolute pleasure to sip and savour. Not quite an iron fist in a velvet glove, but certainly an impressively powerful tannin profile combined with a majestic fruit purity. A Cabernet Franc for Cote Rotie drinkers? Maybe. Drink on release and over the next 10 to 15+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Raats Family Wines Eden High-Density Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2022, WO Polkadraai Hills, Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.

The Eden 2022 is another ultra confident showstopper from Bruwer Raats’ tiny 0.2-hectare vineyard. This pristine Eden Cabernet Franc displays the most tantalising intensity and florality on the nose with a notable depth, seductive power and a piercing perfume focus. High toned, lifted and utterly beguiling, the aromatics display an exotic fanned peacock’s tail of pressed violets, cherry blossom and dried lavender over notes of oregano, dried thyme, sweet cherry compote, saline crème de cassis, oystershell, pencil shavings and delicate blueberry rock candy nuances. The palate is always underpinned by incredibly fine tannins but with this 2022, the vivacity, concentration and freshness of the accompanying acids bring immeasurable joy to the palate, seamlessly counterbalancing the complex red and black berry fruit intensity. This wine is all about purity, precision, and persistence, with a mouthfeel texture of silk and the most polished fine-grained granitic mineral tannins imaginable. This is surely as close as you are going to get to perfection with a young, energetic, premium Cabernet Franc in South Africa? Drink on release an over the next 10 to 15+ years. (598 bottles produced.)

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

An Unusually Cool Vintage Yields An Exceptional Wine – Tasting the New MR de Compostella 2021 Cape Bordeaux Blend…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 3 Comments

Every vintage, critics and avid collectors watch out for the one or two wines that will ‘move the market’. A few years ago, it was the 100-point Kanonkop Paul Sauer 2015, and this year it was possibly the Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2020 or the Taaibosch Crescendo 2020. However, every year there are a handful of classical Bordeaux Blend cuvees that offer up candidates for most profound wine of the vintage and in 2021, we seem to be spoilt for choice. An incredibly cool, long, and slow maturing vintage, Lukas van Loggerenberg commented to me recently that he thought it was possibly the longest and latest harvest on record since the fabled 1997 vintage that saw late ripening cultivars like Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot being harvested into late May.

Most producers thought that the late, slow harvest was definitely worth the wait. Consumers can really look forward to remarkable wines from the 2021 crop with the cooler weather conditions enabling producers to harvest their grapes at exactly the right time, with viticulturists and winemakers especially excited about the good colour extraction, low pH levels and high natural acidity in cases where vineyards were managed effectively – which all points to exceptional quality premium wines.

The MR de Compostella 2020 was also released to phenomenal mainstream acclaim (and another 97/100-point scorcher from Neal Martin), but I have it on good authority that other well know critics have openly acknowledged that they perhaps underscored the 2020 MR vintage. With 2019 being declassified into a turbo charged Raats Jasper Red Blend, Bruwer and Mzokhona have stood steadfastly behind their draconian tasting and selection process for the component parts of the MR de Compostella final blend.

Tasting with Bruwer Raats in July in London with the next generation, Daneel Raats.

The 2021 vintage is, in Bruwer’s own words, the finest vintage of MR that he feels he has made to date. The rest is up to the consumers and the critics to agree or disagree. With samples in hand, I took on the taste challenge and opened a bottle of 2021 ahead of its impending commercial merchant release at the end of October in the UK.

MR de Compostella 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

1.9g/l RS | 5.85g/l TA | 3.59pH

The MR de Compostella from Bruwer Raats and Mzokhona Mvemve possesses one of the most successful critical track records out of almost any red wine produced in South Africa let alone just in the Cape Bordeaux Blend category. The newest 2021 release astonishingly takes this wine to yet another higher niveau of quality with a blend of 26% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Malbec, 20% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. Made from vines aged between 9 and 22 years old, all grown on deep decomposed dolomitic granite soils with table mountain sandstone, the aromatics are wonderfully bold and exuberant displaying seductive notes of blackberries, crème de cassis, violets, sweet cherry tobacco, black cherries and tart black plum. The lifted perfumed intensity is incredibly pure and piercing with salty liquorice, cedar spice and beautifully detailed maritime oyster shell nuances. In the mouth, the concentration and focused steely intensity is astounding – tart, bright and architecturally soaring, shaping this wine into a powerful, linear, multi-dimensional masterpiece. Packed full of salty cassis, tart plum and black currant, the tightly wound core of power, refined extraction and polished marble tannins leave you in no doubt that this harmonious, vibrant beauty is a spellbinding, timeless classic in the making. If you wanted just one wine to convince an international fine wine connoisseur of the true greatness of South Africa’s finest terroirs and winemaking, you have found your candidate! Simply an incredible wine. Drink this beauty from 2024 and savour over the next 30+ years. But you might need more than just one or two cases in your cellar!!

(Wine Safari Score: 99/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

MR de Compostella and Raats Family Wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Alliance Wines and is sold retail by specialist South African fine wine merchant Museum Wines. Retail will be circa £70 per bottle for the 2021.

All Eyes Are On Raats Family Wines As they Prepare to Release Their Eden High Density Single Vineyard 2021 Chenin Blanc…

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I tasted this profound new release from the Raats Family Winery back in October 2022 with Bruwer Raats at his farm and featured it as part of my longer write-up of new Raats and Bruwer Vintners releases. But such is the magnificence of this wine, and specifically the 2021, that I thought I would repost my review individually in case anyone missed it. This new 2021 is undoubtedly one of the best and most serious Chenin Blancs Bruwer Raats has released during his illustrious career and certainly a wine collectors will not want to miss.

The Eden 2021 Chenin Blanc is made from fruit grown in a beautifully manicured 13 to 17 year old Chenin Blanc vineyard alongside the Raats Family Winery in Stellenbosch on the Vlaeberg Road in the Polkadraai Hills. When Bruwer Raats released the first vintage of his high density planted Montpellier Clone Chenin Blanc in 2014, the wine represented a culmination of years of planning and work to produce a wine unlike anything else that had been produced in South Africa. Now in its eighth vintage, Bruwer’s vision of producing a premium white wine of unrivalled quality is finally being realised.

Raats Family Eden High-Density Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2021, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.

With only 1,734 bottles produced, the wine was aged in 50% concrete egg and 50% oak barrels and reveals a magical melange of fresh orange citrus, tangerine, white peach and Granny Smith apple fruits over a very subtle maritime salinity and granitic minerality. The palate is intense and linear, ultra focused and fresh but layered with generous fruit concentration but also overt minerality and wet river pebble nuances. An incredibly impressive expression of ultra premium Chenin Blanc. Drink from 2025 and over the next 20+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)