Vinous (95)

The 2019 Cabernet Franc Dolomite has an energetic, tensile nose of wonderfully defined red and black fruit, sage, bell pepper and clove aromas; hints of dried blood emerge with time. The palate is very well balanced, taut and fresh, with supple tannins, a fine bead of acidity, a harmonious, sophisticated finish, and suggestions of black pepper on the aftertaste. This is a brilliant Cabernet Franc from Raats that will age gloriously.

Greg Sherwood MW (98)

The Eden 2022 is another ultra confident showstopper from Bruwer Raats’ tiny 0.2-hectare vineyard. This pristine Eden Cabernet Franc displays the most tantalising intensity and florality on the nose with a notable depth, seductive power and a piercing perfume focus. High toned, lifted and utterly beguiling, the aromatics display an exotic fanned peacock’s tail of pressed violets, cherry blossom and dried lavender over notes of oregano, dried thyme, sweet cherry compote, saline crème de cassis, oystershell, pencil shavings and delicate blueberry rock candy nuances. The palate is always underpinned by incredibly fine tannins but with this 2022, the vivacity, concentration and freshness of the accompanying acids bring immeasurable joy to the palate, seamlessly counterbalancing the complex red and black berry fruit intensity. This wine is all about purity, precision, and persistence, with a mouthfeel texture of silk and the most polished fine-grained granitic mineral tannins imaginable. This is surely as close as you are going to get to perfection with a young, energetic, premium Cabernet Franc in South Africa? Drink on release an over the next 10 to 15+ years. (598 bottles produced.)

Vinous (95)

The 2022 Chenin Blanc Eden High Density Single Vineyard comes from the tiny plot around Bruwer Raats's home, vines from the Montpellier clone planted on their own stakes (echelas) at 8,000 per hectare. Whole bunch pressed and aged for 11 months in French oak (30% new), this pure and refined bouquet brings scents of yellow plum, beeswax, dried honey and lanolin. The palate is smooth and sensual right from the start, not plush, but there is a rondeur to this Chenin Blanc, lightly spiced with a little more viscosity on the finish compared to Raats's other Chenins this vintage. Very sustained on the finish, this will be utterly seductive. Just 2,300 bottles were produced, alas.

Vinous (97)

The 2018 MR de Compostella is a blend of 54% Cabernet Franc, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec, 5% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. It presents a compelling bouquet of blackberry, charcoal, cedar and tobacco, all showing wonderful delineation and focus. But it is not the most flamboyant on the nose compared to other vintages; this takes its time to open at a stately pace. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins, perfectly judged acidity, a silky-smooth texture and an utterly harmonious, complex finish. Residues of allspice and clove linger on the long aftertaste. Brilliant.

Greg Sherwood MW (98)

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. Drink from 2024 to 2045+.

Greg Sherwood MW (98)

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. Drink from 2024 to 2045+.

Greg Sherwood MW (99)

The MR de Compostella from Bruwer Raats and Mzokhona Mvemve possesses one of the most successful critical track records out of almost any red wine produced in South Africa let alone just in the Cape Bordeaux Blend category. The newest 2021 release astonishingly takes this wine to yet another higher niveau of quality with a blend of 26% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Malbec, 20% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. Made from vines aged between 9 and 22 years old, all grown on deep decomposed dolomitic granite soils with table mountain sandstone, the aromatics are wonderfully bold and exuberant displaying seductive notes of blackberries, crème de cassis, violets, sweet cherry tobacco, black cherries and tart black plum. The lifted perfumed intensity is incredibly pure and piercing with salty liquorice, cedar spice and beautifully detailed maritime oyster shell nuances. In the mouth, the concentration and focused steely intensity is astounding – tart, bright and architecturally soaring, shaping this wine into a powerful, linear, multi-dimensional masterpiece. Packed full of salty cassis, tart plum and black currant, the tightly wound core of power, refined extraction and polished marble tannins leave you in no doubt that this harmonious, vibrant beauty is a spellbinding, timeless classic in the making. If you wanted just one wine to convince an international fine wine connoisseur of the true greatness of South Africa’s finest terroirs and winemaking, you have found your candidate! Simply an incredible wine. Drink this beauty from 2024 and savour over the next 30+ years. But you might need more than just one or two cases in your cellar!!