Muratie new releases

Muratie, granted in 1685, has been associated with many colourful characters over time, their names now bestowed upon the Stellenbosch property’s various wine.

The white blend, for instance, recalls Laurens Campher, a young German soldier who was the first to farm the property. The soon-to-be-released 2021 vintage is a blend of 45% Chenin Blanc, the rest Sauvignon Blanc, Verdelho and Viognier – all own fruit except for the Sauvignon Blanc which is bought in from a Polkadraai Hills property. Exotic aromatics of lemon, naartjie, green melon and pineapple, some floral perfume and a hint of leesy complexity precede a palate with good fruit concentration and bright acidity – creamy in texture with a long finish. Alc: 13.5%.

CE’s rating: 92/100.

The 2020 (90 points) is still available at R250 a bottle.

Muratie’s Cape Bordeaux Red Blend, meanwhile, is called Ansela van de Caab. Born into slavery at the Cape (her mother a slave from West Africa, her white father most likely a servant of the Dutch East India Company), Ansela lived at the notorious Slave Lodge and worked in the Company’s Garden until her manumission in 1695, when Campher brought her home to Muratie, along with their three children.

The 2020 (price: R650) is a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot and was matured for 24 months in oak barrels, 50% new. Red and black berries, rose, fynbos and a hint of vanilla on the nose while the palate is medium-bodied and elegant with fresh acidity and fine tannins, the finish long and dry. It already drinks well but has the poise to reward some maturation. Alc: 14.41%

CE’s rating: 93/100.

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