Raats new releases

By , 3 July 2024

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5

Bruwer Raats and cousin Gavin Slabbert specialise in Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, their grapes sourced predominantly from the exciting Polkadraai Hills area. The Raats Family Wines label was established in 2000 and Raats relates that when he first set himself up, he was told that he has chosen in the “arse-end” of Stellenbosch. How quickly things in wine can change. Tasting notes and ratings for the new releases as follows:

Raats Original Chenin Blanc 2023
Price: R185
Spontaneously fermented in stainless steel tanks. Left on the lees for six months. Enticing aromatics of guava, pear, peach, citrus and a hint of pineapple. The palate is clean and direct – great fruit concentration, zippy acidity and a pithy finish. Invigorating to drink. Alc: 13%.

CE’s rating: 91/100.

Raats Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2023
Price: R460
Grapes from vineyards with an average age of 45 years. 50% fermented in neutral oak, 25% in concrete egg and 25% in stainless steel tank. Quince, citrus and peach, some yeasty complexity and spice on the nose. A harmonious palate with good fruit weight, creamy texture, tangy acidity and a savoury finish. Alc: 13%.

CE’s rating: 93/100.

Eden High Density Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2022
Price: R1 050
Grapes from 0.6ha block planted in 2009. 60% matured in concrete egg, 40% in new oak. A top note of honeysuckle before yellow apple, stone fruit, earth, spice and a yeasty note. Rich and broad on the palate with well-integrated acidity and a pithy finish. Layered and long, a wine that captures the imagination. Alc: 13%.

CE’s rating: 95/100.

Raats Dolomite Cabernet Franc 2022
Price: R255
Includes some grapes from Winshaw Vineyards, just outside Polkadraai Hills. 30% whole-bunch fermentation. Matured for 12 months in 50% neutral oak and 50% in concrete tank. Ultra-expressive aromatics of red berries, herbs and violets. Irresistibly pure fruit, fresh acidity and powdery tannins, the finish super-dry. Alc: 13.5%.

CE’s rating: 94/100.

Raats Family Cabernet Franc 2020
Price: R800
15% whole-bunch fermentation. Matured for 16 months in oak, 10% new. Complex aromatics of red and black berries, rose, tomato leaf, dried herbs, hints of earth and mushroom, plus pencil shavings. Excellent depth of fruit, fresh acidity and fine tannins. Not insubstantial but also has a great clarity and tension about it. Alc: 14%.

CE’s rating: 96/100.

Vlag Vineyard Selection Polkadraai Hills Cabernet Franc 2022
Price: R1 600
NEW. Grapes from two Vlaeberg vineyards and hence the name. One-third matured in concrete egg, one-third in foudre and one-third in oak barrels, 8% of which were new. Pretty aromatics of red currant, plum and black cherry plus floral perfume and fresh herbs. The palate is luscious but not sweet or thick textured – round and juicy with fine-grained tannins, the finish nicely dry. Alc: 13%.

CE’s rating: 94/100.

Eden High Density Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2022
Price: R2 950
Grapes from a 0.2ha vineyard. 15% whole-bunch fermentation. Matured in one new barrel for 10 months before a further eight months in a fifth-fill barrel. Red and black berries, musk, potpourri, fresh herbs, mushroom, earth and pencil shavings on the nose – extraordinarily detailed. The palate is rich and full – excellent depth of fruit, soft but sufficient acidity and mouth-coating, grippy tannins. A refined and very sophisticated wine with great structure. Alc: 13%.

CE’s rating: 97/100.

Check out our South African wine ratings database.

Comments

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    Greg Sherwood | 3 July 2024

    When you consider that Le Bourg from Clos Rougeard, the closest wine in comparable quality to the Eden Cab Franc, costs around £450-£500 per bottle on release, you realise that Bruwer’s single little barrel of meticulously crafted Eden Cab Franc is actually very well priced at circa £125 per bottle. Only 90 bottles make it to the UK. It obviously sells out before merchants can even offer the wine… and it is most definitely not bought by just collectors. Mostly it is sold to true Cabernet Franc converts who drink and enjoy the stuff.

      Jos | 3 July 2024

      It’s not exactly a like-for-like comparison though. While £125 isn’t cheap for the average UK consumer, it’s more than what most South African spend on a week’s groceries, more than a month for many.

      It is after all one of the most expensive wines sold commercially in SA whereas £125 its just another average premium price in the UK/France. So while the price may be justifiable given the quality, it’s not exactly someone the average wine enthusiast in SA will ever taste.

    Melvyn Minnaar | 3 July 2024

    Ah, but that is capitalism, as one Jos so gleefully remark elsewhere while the housekeeper may clear his table not seeing the price tag…

    Dieter Gugelmann | 3 July 2024

    It seems that this is a wine for collectors and not for connoisseurs. As in, look what I have in the cellar that you don’t have.

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