Critics Ratings

‘A Cape benchmark, 2013 powerful yet elegant Cabernet Franc-led 5-way Bordeaux blend. Aromas richly mix cassis, dark chocolate and undergrowth, echoing on a palate that’s muscular but focused and athletic, ready now and toned (33% new oak) to go the distance.’ - Platter’s SA Wine Guide 2016, 5*

'With a dusty nose full of wet stone minerality, the aromatics speak of a cooler vintage style laced with graphite, dried straw, baking herbs and pithy black berry fruits. The palate is where the wine takes off like a rocket and really shines. Woven together very tightly, the intensity and vibrant saline black berry intensity combined with tart crunchy acids make this wine stand out from the rest at the moment. So elegant and persistent on the finish, this is the real deal. A super classy wine drinking well now but with many years ahead of it still.' - Greg Sherwood MW, 97/100

‘A more or less equal blend of the five red Bordeaux varieties, each of them grown on different soil types, this is as refined and concentrated as ever in 2013. Black fruits, fresh tea, mint and cassis with sweet vanilla oak: the balance is very impressive, as are the polished, fine-grained tannins. Drink: 2015-22.’ - Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2015, 95/100

'It has a voluminous and very pure bouquet, ebullient red cherry and wild strawberry fruit, with just a touch of cassis. The palate is medium-bodied with sensual tannin, as usual, and with perfectly judged acidity; this is a more "sedate" and "relaxed" De Compostella that is not too worried about being "wine of the year." Rather, it is happy and harmonious in its own skin; it is happy to just give pleasure and complexity without excessive effort. It's one of the most elegant releases since their debut in 2004.' - Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, 94/100 (Nov 2015)

‘A hefty wine, with a dense core of steeped plum, blackberry confiture and mulled currant fruit, all backed by loamy tannins and a lingering Turkish coffee note. A broad swath of tobacco flows underneath. This needs a little cellaring to meld fully. Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2017 through 2023.’ - James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, 93/100 ( Nov 2015)

Provenance

Producer