Both the leading American publication reviewing South African wines, Vinous, and South Africa’s leading wine expert, Master of Wine Greg Sherwood, give the utterly remarkable 2020 Mvemve Raats Compostella their top scores for any South African red wine ever.
Only 1000 six-packs of this historic Bordeaux blend were made, and our supplier was allocated seven of them. We took them all. Just a couple are left – though we are hoping for some more!
Only two other US stores even list (and MAYBE can get) this, at higher prices. Both appear to be out of stock now, though. Prices in South Africa itself range from $102 to $112. (And several of those stores have also sold out already.)
And the only other US store to (maybe) have any, in California, has it as a pre-arrival, by the case only, at $142!
But we are offering our small allotment at $89.99.
If you want to experience a very rare South African red that can stand up to ANYTHING from Napa or Bordeaux, do not miss this one.
98 and Top SA Red ever for South Africa’s leading wine expert, Master of Wine Greg Sherwood (who also rates it equal to his top Napa Cabernets ever):
Never made with exactly the same blend in any two vintages, the 2020 is a classic Cape Bordeaux assemblage of 30% Cabernet Franc, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 16% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot with a total production of only 1,000 x 6. The wine displays a real intensity in the glass with a ruby red rim and a red / black plum heart. The aromatics are vibrant and fabulously perfumed, bursting from the glass with expressive notes of red and black berry fruits, black currant, raspberry, red and black cherry, before notes of earthy blueberry emerge with suggestions of pressed violets, lavender, sweet sandalwood, star anise and graphite spice. On the palate, the vintage’s regal elegance emerges with exhilarating acids framing the plush opulent red and back berry fruits, saline cassis, tart red cherry and a blueberry confectionary generosity. Tasting the wine with Bruwer Raats, inevitable comparisons were made to the iconic 2017 MR, with both wines sharing a beautifully bright acid freshness and a weightless concentration of pure berry fruits with only the slightest suggestion of vanilla oak spice. This really is a wine with a mixed palette of colours, flavours and fruits and the most seamlessly elegant, finessed velvety tannins. Following on from the 2018 blockbuster, with no 2019 MR produced, this 2020 is a bold, enchanting, characterful wine full of precision that trumpets the return of this incredible benchmark Cape classic. A breathtaking wine on so many levels.
97 and top SA red ever for Vinous:
The 2020 MR de Compostella is a blend of 30% Cabernet Franc, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 16% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot matured in 1st, 2nd and 3rd fill barrels for 24 months. It has a stunning nose with effortlessly pure black cherry, boysenberry and raspberry fruit, seamlessly interlaced with the oak. The palate is medium-bodied with an intense opening, layers of red fruit, spicebox, cracked black pepper and graphite. There is a huge structure to this Compostella but with immense salinity and finesse on the finish. It will need three to four years in bottle, but it is a tremendous wine (again).
As the importer explains:
Mvemve Raats is a critically acclaimed collaboration between friends and winemakers Mzokhona Mvemve and Bruwer Raats. Raats is the owner and winemaker of Raats Family Wines, where he has earned a reputation for top notch Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. He is also the winemaker for Cape Classics-owned Indaba Wines, where he oversees all sourcing and production. Mzokona Mvemve, the first Indaba Scholarship recipient, is a graduate of Stellenbosch University and one of South Africa’s first qualified black oenologists. He also produces his own wine under the Sagila label.
The name de Compostella (meaning “field of stars” or “compilation of stars”) was chosen to reflect the fact that each component is crafted to be able to stand alone as a world class varietal wine. The grapes for the extremely limited production de Compostella are sourced from within Stellenbosch, widely recognized as the Cape’s premier red wine-producing region. Each block of each varietal is vinified separately. After 12 months in barrel, the varietal components are tasted blind and rated on a 100-point scale, and any component that either winemaker rates below 90 is discarded. The scores for the remaining components are then averaged, and the final blend is constructed using descending percentages based on the ratings, with the top scoring component comprising the largest portion of the blend. The wine is then returned to barrel for an additional 8-12 months of aging.
Now just imagine what this wine would sell for if it was from Napa…
(By the way, Sherwood also reviews the most elite California Cabernets and blends - many at $400 to over $1000, like Opus, Bryant and Screaming Eagle, and this 98-point score for this is the highest he has ever rated any of them.)
