Raats Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2022

Since 2000, the founder of Raats Family Wines, Bruwer Raats, has kept his focus on the Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc grape varieties, in the belief that specializing would lead to success. Today, Raats Family Wines has received local and international accolades for their wines. With Gavin Bruwer joining Raats’ side in 2010, their business has continued to flourish.

Based in the wine-making capital of Stellenbosch, Bruwer, Mzokona Mvemve (fellow winemaker and longtime friend) Gavin’s wine-making is rigorous, focusing on the quality of grapes, soil, climate, topography and human skill.All grapes were grown only on decomposed dolomite granite, which gives a great acidity and freshness to the wine and adds minerality to the finish. Individual vineyard blocks were each hand-picked at perfect ripeness the last week in February till the first week in March.

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

For their Old Vine Chenin Blanc, they handpick grapes from three very old dedicated vineyards in the Polkadraai Hills to create a wine that reveals the very essence and beauty of Chenin Blanc.

The 2022 vintage marks 22 years of producing this wine. As the first wine released by Bruwer under his own label in 2000, it reflects his lifelong passion and dedication to mastering this variety. Critics and wine lovers around the world laud this wine as one of the great Chenin Blancs produced in South Africa year after year, continuously evolving and improving. And as Bruwer puts it, “We work tirelessly to produce wine of outstanding quality and class, and we hope that people will know that when they buy a bottle of Raats wine, they trust the quality in that we would not bottle a wine which we did not believe is exceptional”.