Family Cabernet Franc

Rosemary rubbed grilled lamb chops or leg of lamb, tarragon chicken, duck breasts with cassis and raspberries, venison with blackberry sauce, flourless chocolate cake.

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. With Gavin Bruwer joining Raats’ side in 2010 the family affair has one shared mission: to consistently produce Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc of outstanding quality from South Africa and to establish these wines as international benchmarks. As the Raats philosophy continues to flourish new curated additions have been introduced along the way. This includes the well-received vineyard-driven B Vintners Vine Exploration Co. range and the single wine speciality bottling of MR De Compostella – an incredibly successful collaboration between Raats himself and fellow winemaker and long-time friend Mzokona Mvemve. Based in the winemaking capital of Stellenbosch Bruwer Mzokona and Gavin’s winemaking criteria is rigorous and includes the quality of grape soil climate topography and of course the impact of the human hand which together embodies the truest meaning of terroir.

Individual vineyard blocks each hand-picked at perfect ripeness the last week in February till the first week in March.

Fermentation Temperature: 28°C, Wood Ageing 18 months in French Vicard and Mercury oak barrels (25% new, 25% second, 25% third fill and 25% fourth fill).

Grapes were hand sorted three times, crushed and left to cold soak on the skins for five days. After fermentation the grapes are basket pressed and allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks and then aged for 18 months before bottling.