A WINE you have to try, if you haven’t already. Once experienced, it’s one of those South African reds that wine lovers want to revisit in one form or another every vintage, at least. Cabernet Franc from Raats! There’s the Raats Dolomite, the flagship Raats Family and the Eden High Density Single Vineyard. And at under R200pb, the Dolomite has been punching above its weight, matching the flagship in rating 5 Stars in Platter’s SA Wine Guide, scoring over 90 points on Winemag.co.za and getting a gold medal at the Cab Franc Challenge. Both the Raats Dolomite and Raats Family are included in the 2019 SA Wine Classification, with Raats one of only two Cab Francs in the Hall of Fame.

Yes, Raats involves a team of good people, but the person at the centre of it all is farmer, winemaker, businessman, one-of-a-kind, Bruwer Raats. A South African pioneer of Cabernet Franc as a single-varietal wine (or near as dammit), rather than as part of a Bordeaux-style blend, he is also one of the country’s top négociants, a Stellenbosch ambassador, a winemaker who produces masterpieces from both old and young vines, specialising in red Bordeaux varieties as well as Chenin Blanc. (Pictured above is but one of the vineyards from which Raats buys in grapes)

Raats Dolomite Cabernet Franc 2017
WO Stellenbosch. Vines seven to 20 years old. 95% Cabernet Franc and 5% Malbec. Grapes hand-picked in February, hand-sorted three times, pressed and left to cold-soak on the skins for five days. After fermentation, a basket press was used, followed by malolactic fermentation. Matured in 300L French oak barrels (neutral) for 14 months.
Alc 14.0  RS 2.1 | TA 5.6 | pH 3.5
Producer’s Tasting Notes: cherry on the nose; dark berries, spiciness and herbs linger on the palate; purity of fruit with a hint of wet-stone minerality and a velvet-soft finish.
Ageing Potential: two to five years.
Food Suggestions: pork loin with plum and brandy sauce; game bird with red wine sauce; venison (springbok, ostrich or kudu); Karoo lamb; hard cheeses.
R165pb from the producer.

Raats Family Cabernet Franc 2016
WO Stellenbosch. Unirrigated, trellised vines, 19 to 26 years old. 100% Cab Franc. Grapes hand-picked end-February and early-March, hand-sorted three times, pressed and left to cold-soak on the skins for five days. Fermentation followed by basket-pressing, malolactic fermentation, then aged for 18 months in French oak barrels (25% new, 25% second-fill, 25% third-fill, 25% fourth-fill).
Alc 14.5 | RS 2.8 | TA 5.5 | pH 3.5
Producer’s Tasting Notes: on the nose, perfume and Cape fynbos, rosemary, lavender and thyme, with spicy notes of nutmeg, cloves and star anise; on the palate, intense blackberry fruit, graphite and a streak of minerality add to the complexity.
Ageing Potential: more than 10 years if cellared correctly.
Food Suggestions: rosemary-rubbed grilled lamb chops or leg of lamb; tarragon chicken; duck breasts with cassis and raspberries, venison with blackberry sauce.
R550pb from the producer.