Raats new releases

Gavin Slabbert and Bruwer Raats of Raats Family Wines.

If you’re looking for vinous showboating, then Bruwer Raats and cousin Gavin Slabbert are probably not your men. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for wines of complexity and balance that don’t play to a  particular audience one way or the other, then look no further than Raats Family Wines. Tasting notes and ratings for the new releases as follows:

Raats Original Unwooded Chenin Blanc 2017
Price: R120 a bottle
Now well established as one of the most reliable unwooded examples of the variety to be had. On the nose, blossom and dried herbs before a hint of citrus and white peach. Good palate weight, coated acidity and a savoury finish. Very well put together.

Editor’s rating: 90/100.

Raats Dolomite Cabernet Franc 2015
Price: R125 a bottle
Matured for 10 months in older oak. Red and black fruit, roses and entirely likeable herbal note. Fruit-driven in the best sense with bright acidity and fine tannins, this is exceptionally well balanced – delicious but still intellectually rewarding.

Editor’s rating: 92/100.

Raats Red Jasper 2015
Price: R195 a bottle
48% Cabernet Franc, 36% Malbec, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. Matured for 16 months in older oak. The nose shows red and black fruit, fresh herbs and earth. The palate shows good fruit concentration, fresh acidity and quite chunky tannins. Appealing if not super-complex.

Editor’s rating: 88/100.

Raats Cabernet Franc 2015
Price: R500 a bottle
Is there another example of single-variety Cabernet Franc to touch this in South Africa? I think not. Matured for 18 months in French oak, 25% new. The nose is generally quite shy but upon interrogation, reveals red and black berries plus hints of fresh herbs and tilled earth. The palate shows the trademark precision of this cellar – lovely fruit definition, fresh acidity and very fine tannins making for a silky finish. The detail it already shows is impressive but you feel it will only unfurl even more over the next five years.

Editor’s rating: 94/100.

Find our South African wine ratings database here.