Renowned winemaking team Bruwer Raats and his cousin Gavin Bruwer Slabbert muscled their way into the history books when an unprecedented eight wines from the Raats stable received the coveted 5-star rating in the Platter Guide. No other winemaker has ever managed this accomplishment in one year, since South Africa’s most definitive wine reference guide was first published in 1980. In addition, they were also named Winery of the Year.
Leading the Platter party is the highly acclaimed MR de Compostella 2015, a magnificent Bordeaux blend produced by Raats and winemaker friend Mzokhona Mvemve. This wine has consistently impressed local and international wine critics since its maiden vintage was released in 2004, with this being its fourth consecutive five-star rating.
Bruwer’s latest collaboration with cousin Gavin Bruwer also got the nod from the Platter judges with two wines under their B Vintners Vine Exploration Company label receiving five-star treatment. This vine exploration initiative was launched in 2014 and has quickly won over consumers and critics alike. Both the Haarlem to Hope 2016 and Liberté 2016 hit the sweet spot for Platter.
Raats further maintained his reputation as the South African Chenin King with all three of his Chenin Blancs making the list, namely Eden High Density Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2015, Raats Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2016 and Raats Original Chenin Blanc 2016.
Raats Family Wines have always been passionate and unwavering in their support of Cabernet Franc as one of the most underestimated grape variety in the country, if not the world. With both Raats Family Cabernet Franc 2015 and Eden High Density Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2015 receiving five stars, they have most definitely silenced critics and are bound to gain many more enthusiastic followers for this varietal.
“This is obviously incredible news and I am very happy that our whole wine portfolio has shown such depth. These eight 5-star ratings are the results of many years of hard work and dedication. I have always maintained that if you do something with passion and integrity, you can expect excellence. Respecting the soil, the vineyards and the winemaking process have finally paid off and these amazing results are testament to that. It is interesting to note that seven of the eight 5-star wines come from young vines. In fact, the Eden High Density Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc are from vineyards that are only six years old. This underlines my belief that to move the industry forward, we need to have an approach of quality by design, rather than quality by default. We can create our own future by planting great vineyards,” concluded Raats.
