Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc. That’s it. Since 2000, founder Bruwer Raats has kept his focus on these two varieties, believing that specialising would lead to success. This belief was not unfounded, as today, Raats Family Wines is regarded as a leader of South Africa’s Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, receiving consistent local and international accolades.
Raats Family Original Chenin Blanc 2019
The wine has a distinctive yellow apple and pineapple core, alongside notes of green melon and limes. The wine is thus bursting with fresh fruit flavours. The wine ends with zesty citrus flavours, and has a long mineral finish.
Cultivar: 100% Chenin Blanc
Raats Family 'Old Vine' Chenin Blanc 2017
The wine offers a complex nose showing quince, white peach, yellow apple, acacia, nettles, white pepper and fenugreek spices and an intense minerality. The stone fruit character follows through onto an exceptionally balanced, very delicate, fine textured limey palate showing a peach-melba character with an exquisite roundness and freshness. The wine lingers with hints of ripe nectarine and apricot, zesty lemon and wet chalk.
Cultivar: 100% Chenin Blanc
Raats Eden High Density Chenin Blanc 2015
The Wine's fresh and delicate yet inviting nose displays peach blossom, greengage, lime, green apple, white peach, pineapple, ginger, angelica and peppery spiciness. The palate shows notes of quince, granadilla, kumquat, mandarin orange, melon, pear and lemon-meringue against a backdrop of steely minerality. Hints of roasted hazelnuts and almonds add to the complexity of the palate. The wine is exceptionally linear and fresh with a fine texture and finishes with notes of fennel and the ginger spiciness promised by the nose.
Cultivar: 100% Chenin Blanc
Raats Dolomite Cabernet Franc 2017
The nose shows dark, sour cherry. Dark berries, spiciness and herbs linger on the palate. The wine has great purity of fruit with a hint of wet-stone minerality and a velvet soft finish.
Cultivar: 100% Cabernet Franc
Raats Family Cabernet Franc 2015
The nose entices with its perfume and a garrigue character of Cape fynbos, rosemary, lavender and thyme with spicy notes of nutmeg, cloves and star anise. Intense brooding blackberry fruit, graphite and a streak of minerality add to the complexity of the nose. The palate is dominated by blueberry, mulberry, brambles, dark cherries, liquorice and the aniseed and other spices following through from the nose. The palate is complex and textured with fine grained silky tannins balancing the dark berry fruit. Blue- and blackberries dominate the smooth finish with hints of dark chocolate.
Cultivar: 100% Cabernet Franc
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Raats Family Red Jasper 2017
Exceptionally intense and complex on the nose with blackberry, black cherry and bramble in abundance and subtle hints of forest floor, dark chocolate, aniseed and spicy tobacco. The walk in the Black Forest continues with blue and blackberry dancing on a tight rope with focus and concentration, following through onto a perfectly balanced, fine-grained, velvety palate. The finish lingers with hints of fresh mint, cinnamon and perfume. Complex and structured.
Cultivar: 53% Cabernet Franc, 36% Malbec, 5% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot
The formation of MR de Compostella epitomizes the meeting of two strong winemaking minds and an existing friendship between Mzokona Mvemve (the M) and Bruwer Raats (the R). de Compostella itself refers to a constellation of stars, with each shining star being a tiny addition to the larger blend of the galaxy that makes for something spectacular. Together, the MR de Compostella is driven neither by style nor variety, but by its leading star component – quality.
Mvemve Raats de Compostella 2012
Deep, dark intense ruby colour. Blackcurrant and black cherry fruit with hints of violets, cedar and cinnamon. Rich and complex with mineral, black berry fruit and dark chocolate on the finish. Harmoniously composed of sufficient of each of the five main Bordeaux varieties to ensure none dominates. This wine shows a consistent, linear flavour profile with a polished finish. Neal Martin from the Wine Advocate said “To sum up this wine in two words: world class. Ignore at own risk” (November 2013).
Cultivar: 28% Cabernet Franc; 23% Cabernet Sauvignon; 21% Malbec; 18% Petit Verdot; 10% Merlot
Mvemve Raats de Compostella 2014
Deep, dark intense ruby colour. Blackcurrant and black cherry fruit with hints of violets, cedar and cinnamon. Rich and complex with mineral, black berry fruit and dark chocolate on the finish. Harmoniously composed of sufficient of each of the five Bordeaux varieties to ensure none dominates. This wine shows a consistent, linear flavour profile with a polished finish.
Cultivar: 41% Cabernet Franc; 19% Cabernet Sauvignon; 17% Malbec; 14% Merlot; 9% Petit Verdot
Mvemve Raats de Compostella 2015
Deep, dark intense ruby colour. Blackcurrant and black cherry fruit with hints of violets, cedar and cinnamon. Rich and complex with mineral, black berry fruit and dark chocolate on the finish. Harmoniously composed of sufficient of each of the five Bordeaux varieties to ensure none dominates. This wine shows a consistent, linear flavour profile with a polished finish.
Cultivar: 41% Cabernet Franc, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Malbec,14% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot