"A breath taking wine on so many levels." 98pts | Greg Sherwood MW
30% Cabernet Franc, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 16% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot
AVAILABLE SPRING 2023
Greg Sherwood MW - 98 Points: “Never made with exactly the same blend in any two vintages, the 2020 is a classic Cape Bordeaux assemblage of 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 black 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 breath taking wine on so many levels. Drink from 2024 to 2045+."
Neal Martin - 97 points: “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, spice box, 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)”. Drink 2026-2050. (Matured in 1st, 2nd and 3rd fill barrels for 24 months)."
History:
The formation of MR de Compostella epitomizes the meeting of two strong winemaking minds and an existing friendship between Mzokona Mvemve (the M) and Bruwer Raats (the R). de Compostella itself refers to a constellation of stars, with each shining star being a tiny addition to the larger blend of the galaxy that makes for something spectacular. Together, the MR de Compostella is driven neither by style nor variety, but by its leading star component – quality.
Always in the pursuit of perfectionism, every vintage marks the start of a new challenge for Mzokona and Bruwer.
“With MR De Compostella, we set out to achieve consistent, world-class quality wine every vintage. To do this, we ensured that the five Bordeaux varieties that we cultivate – namely Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and of course, our speciality, Cabernet Franc – are planted in the soil they are each best suited to. This results in a lot of small parcels in our vineyards – sometimes there will be a row or two of Cabernet Sauvignon in the far left corner of that vineyard, or some Malbec in the very specific right hand corner of this one. It’s not exactly practical, but it’s the only way we can make magic happen,” explains Bruwer.
In truth, the magic of MR is in the process, as each vintage requires refined craft, skilled precision and endless patience. Once each individual component has been matured in separate barrels, the wines are lined up for a blind tasting. This is a lengthy task, whereby Mzokona and Bruwer score each wine individually, before tallying up an average score, removing everything below 90 points, and taste again. The results are all led by outstanding quality, with the overall winner eventually becoming the leading component in the new vintage, the second being the second leading component and so on and so forth. This special process is repeated per wine, per vintage. While rigorous, this tried and test method has resulted in 11 elegant yet completely different vintages of MR de Compostella – a wine as consistent in quality as it is at winning awards – and that results in something truly beyond our world.
