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MR de Compestella!! Is a proprietary Bordeaux blend, quietly celebrating the first collaboration of a white and black winemaking team in South Africa. Yes, the M stand for Mzokhana Mvemve, and the R for Bruwer Raats. Both are highly respected winemakers who have combined talents and impeccible fruit sourcing to create this tour de force wine. Mvemve is finishing his MBA studies, while producing his stellar boutique wine Sagila. Bruwer Raats is a farmer who has dedicated himself to the study of every inch of Stellenbosch terroir. Not only is he highly respected for the two Chenin Blanc he produces, but also for his excellent Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
Only 150 cases of MR are produced annually. For each vintage the blend differs, as the winemakers are challenged to create the finest wine "compilation from the heart". Trust me, when I tell you they have succeeded!!! MR wines are full bodied wine, with great complexity, but magically restrained and elegant at the same time.
MR is barrel aged separately for the first 12 months in French oak, and then after final blending, spends another 8 month in 60% new, and 40% second fill French oak barrique.
"The 2007 De Compostella is a blend of 32% Cabernet Franc, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Malbec, 16% Petit Verdot and 8% Merlot aged for 24 months in 1/3 new oak barrels. It has a very sensual, almost understated bouquet that unfurls with cassis, raspberry, vanilla and dark plums. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins and is much more refined than I anticipated with ebullient sweet cherry fruits on the beautifully focused finish. This is a very elegant yet intense wine that fully justifies its price tag. Drink 2014-2022+
Mvemve Raats is a joint venture inaugurated in 2004 between Bruwer Raats and Mzokhona Mvemve. I must confess that adrenalin began rushing as I tasted two vintages of their stunning Bordeaux blend: De Compostella. I began to wonder why I spent two weeks down in Bordeaux assessing self-aggrandizing Cabernets?" - 93 points, Wine Advocate (Neal Martin) August 2011
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