"BEST VALUE RED FROM SOUTH AFRICA"

– NEAL MARTIN MW VINOUS SOUTH AFRICA REPORT 2021

There is something to be said about being in the right place at the right time. It is no secret that Raats Family Wines produce some of the most expressive and celebrated Cabernet Francs in South Africa. With meticulous attention to detail and quality, Raats has earned a reputation worldwide, with Cabernet Franc enthusiasts as the king of this variety. The problem is that they don't make that much, and in terms of their Dolomite Cabernet Franc, they produce less than 1500 cases, and it is virtually impossible to find it here in the US. But then the hand of god intervened. Our local distributor, which has always done well with Raats Chenin Blanc, placed a regular order for a pallet of the Chenin Blanc. Along the way, some numbers on the PO got inversed, and a pallet of Raats hard-to-get Dolomite Cabernet Franc showed up on their receiving dock. Knowing this would be a one-shot deal, they offered us a shot at the wine. And so here we are, I say with trembling hands. The only other place in the US that sells the wine is a small independent importer in Florida that received 28 cases, and they want more.

Bruwer (pronounced 'Bru – ver') Raats started the Raats Family Wines in 2000. Before that and after college for Enology/Viticulture, he traveled around the world to get experience. His travels, from 1995–99, took him to Bordeaux, Napa, the Rheingau, and Tuscany. Then, he came back to South Africa to make wine. "I realized that what we lacked in South Africa was specialization," says Bruwer. "Lots of New World producers are trying to be everything to everyone. Everything is good, but nothing is exceptional. Our industry needs people who can specialize." Thus, Bruwer Raats Winery specializes in Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc. When asked why Cabernet Franc, he said, "Very simple: Cabernet Franc has spice, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, coriander, red cherry fruit, and silky, velvety tannins. I never want to make blockbuster styles," he says. "I want to make wines that reflect the soil types and varieties. Freshness is the key."

Although Bruwer started his winery in 2000, he first released his Dolomite Cabernet Franc in 2010. Part of the immediate success of this wine is that it was never meant to be the second label of their successful Raats Family Cabernet Fanc, meaning not a selection of lesser barrels to match a lower price point. The vision was to create a wine of exceptional quality and value, accessible to drink young yet can be matured in collectors' cellars. This Cabernet Franc is harvested from vines planted in decomposed Dolomite soils from the Polkadraai Hills in Stellenbosch, and vinification is done in small batches with optimally ripe grapes. The wine lends itself to great acidity, freshness, and an extended mineral finish. Individual vineyard blocks were hand-picked at perfect ripeness and hand-sorted three times before crushing. This wine was matured in French Oak barrels for 14 months. The 2020 vintage illustrates Cabernet Franc at its best: an age-worthy wine that stimulates both the intellect and palate.

 "The difference for us is that in everything we do, we try to resonate the quality in our wine, and that eventually becomes our marketing angle. We do it small, we do it fantastically, and we do it so differently to anybody else. The end result is wine that is rare, unique, small, and different to anyone else," shares Bruwer Raats. That's not just talk; he's also got the walk with a rather stellar reputation internationally as a New World leader in the production of Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc, regularly receiving glowing write-ups in all the top wine press. In 2017, Bruwer and Gavin (his winemaker) muscled their way into the history books when an unprecedented eight wines from the Raats stable received the coveted 5-star rating in the esteemed Platter Guide. No other winemaker has ever managed this accomplishment in one year since South Africa's most definitive wine reference guide was first published in 1980. In addition, Raats Family Wines also walked away with the title of Winery of the Year.

In any vintage, our Dolomite Cabernet Franc is a soulful quaffer of the highest order, and the 2020 vintage is something much more. The wine has a fantastic combination of power, verve, and clarity. Thoroughly honest in style, generous, and approachable, this wine is both vibrantly fresh and charmingly drinkable. Hand harvesting, whole bunch pressing, and using natural fermentation without fining or filtering helps him create world-class wines.

Dolomite wines express great purity of fruit and balanced elegance. The nose shows dark and red 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.

Dolomite is the cheapest of Bruwer Raats' impressive trio of Cabernet Francs, made with fruit from Bottelary and the Polkadraai Hills. Very lightly wooded to let the fruit express itself, it has violet and green pepper aromas and a racy, refreshing plum and black cherry palate. 2023-28. Tim Atkin 92 pts

The 2020 Cabernet Franc Dolomite is partially aged in a concrete tank to obtain more delineation. It has a nose that grabs you by the labels and yells, "I AM CABERNET FRANC" with potent bell pepper notes infusing the black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with firm, grainy tannins, a savoury Cabernet Franc with lashings of cracked black pepper, especially on the long finish. This is a lovely Cabernet Franc. Vinous 91 pts

The 2020 Dolomite Cabernet Franc is classic with fresh, dark cherries, herbal notes, and elegant earth tones of baked clay. Medium-bodied, the palate offers a soft herbal edge with a food-friendly notion before showing bright acidity with a lingering hint of smoke on the finish. After resting 14 months in French oak barrels, none new, 17,269 bottles were produced. It's an honest wine at a great price that will please Cabernet Franc lovers around the globe. The Wine Advocate 90 pts

Raats Dolomite Cabernet Franc 2020

There is something about Cabernet Franc that brings the true wine geeks out. This wine was no exception, judging by the number of our resident geeks who wanted to taste this wine. Sad to say, we were not disappointed. You read that right; the wine was great, but we will probably never be able to have this wine again because it got here by accident (see paragraph one.) Dark in color, the aromas leaped out of the glass, earthy, green pepper, strawberry, and rose petals. In the mouth, flavors were compact with blue-black fruit, pepper, mushrooms, plum, and Greek spice. A creamy mouthfeel structured with good acids and noticeable chalky tannin. A very long dark cherry and spice finish. This wine flaunts the complexity, perfume, and elegance that Cabernet Franc is capable of while showing unabashed deliciousness and poise. Yowzah, what a wine. If you are a Cab Franc guy like me, this is a wine you must have. If you are looking to see what all the Cab Franc talk is about, this wine is not so aggressive that you will want this wine. If you are trying to pair up your blue cheese bacon burger with jalapeno peppers, then this wine is for you. Do not come looking for this wine later because it will never be back again.

Regular Price: $24.99

*Sale Price is on 6 or more bottles

Wine is packed in a 12-bottle case

Quantities are limited

*Wine pricing for these wine promotions are held for two weeks after the email offer.

We can hold wines in unpaid reserves for two weeks to allow you time to pick up your wine. If it takes you longer than that to pick up your wines, give us a call, and we can process your wine and move it to paid reserves.

Orders must be done by replying to this email. The reason is that I need to keep control of the inventory in one central spot. Emailing or calling your favorite wine geek at one of our four stores may not get your orders in on time to be counted or processed and this creates a helter-skelter for us to get you the wine. For the same reason, ordering on our online Web Store is linked to our regular price, and this sale price is only offered on the email platform. It is also why it takes me some time to respond due to the deluge of orders that I sometimes get. We haven't reached the efficiency or volume of Amazon yet. Thank you in advance for your patience.

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