A few years ago we did an in depth look at Stellenbosch, South Africa including reviews of five wineries. One of those was Raats Family Vineyards, and it was one of our favorites. You can read about that here. Bruwer Raats does great things across the board, from his Chenin Blancs to his top end Bordeaux Blend. We’ve kept up with the interim vintages, and the quality only goes up. Here we’ll take a look at the flagship wine from Raats, a blend of the five traditional Bordeuax grapes, and the best parcels of each varietal in the vineyard. This vintage is comprised of 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot, 17% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot, but that will change year to year. We’ve loved this wine every time we’ve tried it over the years. Here is the current version:
Wine: Raats 2021 MR de Compostella
Winery Location: Stellenbosch, South Africa
Tasted By: Neil & Cheri Date: April 2024
Tasting Notes: The blend percentages are given above, comprised of the five Bordeaux varietals. The color is very dark and opaque. Blackberry, black plum and cherry fruit form the nose, and it is a lush expression. Full bodied, the palate also features herbal notes, some floral and tobacco. Tannins are medium+, acid is well balanced and the finish is extremely long. This is a world class red wine in every sense. Exceptional.
Price Point – $120, but you’ll likely find it for a bit less
Would We Buy It? – We did buy some, but it was on sale and under our normal $100 self-imposed limit. It was close to $100 though. This is a worthy splurge wine.
Great wine from a great producer. That’s really not much of a surprise.
A votre santé!
Leave a Reply