Raats Family Wines Old Vine Chenin Blanc is a top-quality white wine that showcases the best of South African viticulture. Created using only the best Chenin Blanc grapes grown on old, dry-grown vineyards, this wine is aged in oak barrels for a minimum of 11 months, resulting in an elegant and complex wine with a rich and balanced flavor. The nose is filled with aromas of ripe peach, apricot, and honey, while the palate is blessed with flavors of citrus, vanilla, and spice, with a long, refreshing finish. This wine is excellent for sharing with friends or pairing with seafood, spicy dishes, and mature cheeses.

Tasting Notes

This wine epitomises the understated elegance of Chenin Blanc. It's restrained, yet complex, nose offers quince, ripe pear, orange blossoms, nettles and spice. On the palate the wine shows pineapple and lemongrass and the cloves, nutmeg and ginger of the nose follow through against a backdrop of vibrant acidity, ending with a long spicy, limey note. The wine’s beauty lies in its lightness of touch and in the elegant way its complexity is revealed.

About the Winery

The Raats Family winery, founded in 2000 and situated in the picturesque Polkadraai Hills of the Stellenbosch winelands, was first a collaboration between the siblings Bruwer and Jasper Raats. Their father, Jasper Senior, served as a viticulturist throughout the winery's early years but tragically passed suddenly in 2009, leaving Bruwer Raats to carry on the family tradition. In 2010, Bruwer named his cousin Gavin Bruwer as winemaker and viticulturist, assuring that the winery's development would continue to be successful and kept within the family. Founder Bruwer Raats of this famous winery has maintained his concentration on two types since 2000 because he thinks that specialising would help him succeed. This assumption is the truth today. The Raats Family Wines is now recognised as a pioneer in South Africa's Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, consistently winning local and international acclaim.

The strict winemaking criteria used by Bruwer, Mzokona, and Gavin, who is based in Stellenbosch, the world's premier wine region, include the quality of the grapes, the land, the climate, the geography, and, of course, the influence of human hands, which together embody the essence of terroir. Raats holds many acres of property with vineyards in the Polkadraai Hills. They obtain their wine from a few very low-yielding ancient vine parcels distinguished by complex sandstone and disintegrated granite soils. These plots, which are situated an average of 249 meters above sea level in the exclusive Stellenbosch neighbourhoods of Bottelary Hills, Simonsberg, and Blaauwklippen, are completely under Bruwer's jurisdiction.

At Raats, they take pride in their dynamic nature. Their core philosophy is to put all their efforts towards adjusting to the environment's constant change. Besides creating fine wine of two varieties, another accomplishment of this winery is its eco-friendly practices. World-class wines are produced by hand harvesting, whole bunch pressing, natural fermentation, and no fining or filtration. There is no environmental impact, even from the packing.

http://raats.co.za

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