2021 Mvemve Raats, MR de Compostella, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Bruwer Raat started Raats Family Wines in 2000.  Having carved out a reputation as a New World leader in the production of Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, Bruwer crafts soil-specific wines that embody the unique characteristics of the Stellenbosch wine region. Amongst the Raats portfolio, Bruwer makes a wine called Mvemve Raats (MR) de Compostella, a collaborative venture with his friend Mzokhona Mvemve that began with the 2004 vintage.  Just one wine is made each year: a Bordeaux blend. The composition changes, because they both taste through barrels and only those that score 90-plus when sampled blind make it to the final blend.

At 17,500 hectares, Stellenbosch is South Africa’s best-known wine region, as well as the Cape's most important fine wine district. It produces a wide variety of wines from leading estates, even though it accounts for less than 20 per cent of the country’s total production. Designated wards within the wine region are Jonkershoek Valley, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, Bottelary, Devon Valley and Papegaaiberg.