The relatively new winery Raats has been producing wines since 2000, focusing entirely on the Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc grape varieties. The entire family is involved in the business. Bruwer and Jasper Raats Senior are the owners, with Bruwer making the wine and his father tending the vineyards. Bruwer considers both Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc to be undervalued grapes, with much to be gained from them. The family lives and breathes wine, and each vineyard block is meticulously cared for. Everything is done to achieve the highest quality. In England and the United States, Raats wines receive rave reviews. A staggering eighty percent of the wines are exported, and that success has come remarkably quickly for this young company.
The grapes were hand-sorted three times. After harvest, the wine gains additional color and depth through five days of maceration on the skins. The wine is aged in high-quality French oak (30 percent new) for sixteen months, achieving a perfect harmony between wood and fruit. This attractive and exceptionally elegant Cabernet Franc showcases the stunning heights this grape can reach. It combines a core of lush blackberries, black cherries, and plums with expressive notes of cinnamon, tobacco, coffee, and spices. Silky tannins caress the palate. This wine has a long and smooth finish. On the nose, we recognize aromas of spices, sweet plums, cherries and blueberries, vanilla, cinnamon, and cloves.
