Vlag

The Eden range was originally held up as statement wines by Bruwer Raats and others as perfect examples of what the Cape’s best terroirs could yield with relatively young vines if they are planted on the correct sites, with the correct rootstocks at the correct density. ‘Quality by design’ was and remains Bruwer’s mantra as well as his answer to the Old Vine movement, which, however admirable the cause, started to steal all the limelight and all the wine critic column inches away from top producers “planting the old vines of the future” as Bruwer put it so succinctly.

With first vintages released with the 2014 vintage, we roll the clock forward now to mark the release of the 2023 vintage, and they’re another cracking set of wines that are sure to sell out immediately on release both locally and internationally yet again.

Bruwer in London launching the Eden 2023 vintages.

Eden High-Density Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2023, WO Polkadraai Hills, 12.5% Abv.

They don’t call Bruwer Raats the Chenin King for nothing! This incredible high-density Chenin Blanc comes from a small 0.6-hectare block planted in 2009 and was matured 60% in concrete egg and 40% in new oak. The aromatics are beautifully detailed with top notes of white peach, honeysuckle, white blossoms and dusty granitic minerality with subtle hints of wet straw, yellow apples and a leesy biscuit nuance. In the mouth, this majestic Chenin Blanc is broad and mouth coating, filling the palate with yellow stone fruits, peach and green apples, pithy phenolics and a classic Polkadraai Hills wet stone minerality on the long, lingering finish. This is another phenomenal Chenin Blanc release from Bruwer Raats, that comfortably sits amongst the country’s top examples. Drink on release and over the next 15+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Eden vineyard at sunrise in July 2025 with the chickens keeping the vineyard pest free and fertilised.

Eden High-Density Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2023, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.

The 10th vintage of this incredible single vineyard Cabernet Franc can leave no doubts in any critics’ mind that this wine ranks among the finest Cabernet Franc reds produced anywhere in the world. Sourced from a tiny 0.2-hectare vineyard in the Polkadraai Hills, the fermentation sees a small amount of whole bunch fermentation before being matured in one new barrel for circa 10 months before a further passage of time in older used barrels. The aromatics are beautifully intense and seductive with fragrant perfumed notes of violets, cherry blossoms, lavender, and incense before a cornucopia of red and black berry fruits, pink musk, potpourri, and cranberry emerge. In the mouth, the full power and majesty of this impressive wine are laid bare for all to see, with a piercing small berry fruit concentration that’s tightly wrapped in a fresh, bright tangy acidity. Incredible focus and precision on display with subtle earthy hints of tilled earth, porcini mushrooms, led pencil, blood orange and ruby grapefruit nuances on the long velvety finish. A more sophisticated and polished Cabernet Franc you simply will not find. Drink on release and over the next 15 to 20 years.

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Raats Vlag Vineyard Selection Polkadraai Hills Cabernet Franc 2023, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13.5% Abv.

The Raats maiden release Vlag 2022 Cabernet Franc cuvee took the market a little by surprise last year, but fairly swiftly, this wine gained a solid momentum and sold out very quickly. The grapes come from two Vlaeberg vineyards in the Polkadraai Hills, close to the Raats Family winery. One third was matured in concrete egg, one third in foudre and one third in oak barrels with a small percentage of new oak. The aromatics are fabulously lifted and perfumed, packed full of violets and rose petals, fresh pencil shavings, and dried herbs over notes of red currants, black currants, black cherry, and spicy cedar. The palate is tightly interwoven, the fruit, acid, and tannin balance simply seamless, boasting an impressive concentration and density that’s fine boned, incredibly detailed, and precise. This striking 2023 feels more integrated and ‘complete’ compared to the 2022 at the same moment in time, suggesting a very successful future lies ahead. Drink this beauty on release and over the next 10 to 15+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Raats Eden wines are imported into the UK by Alliance Wines and offered pre-release to private clients by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines.

When Bruwer Raats set out in 2000 to champion Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, who would have thought he would be where he is today, having claimed the premium high ground so successfully, consistently producing arguably some of South Africa’s best Chenin Blanc whites and certainly South Africa’s most respected Cabernet Franc reds. Indeed, when it comes to this once quirky Loire red cultivar, Bruwer’s Raats Family Wines Cabernet Franc and Raats Eden High Density Cabernet Franc must surely be regarded as some of the most profound Cabernet Franc expressions produced anywhere in the world today, including in the motherland region of the Loire itself.

Mini Eden Cabernet Franc vertical – 2017, 2020 and 2022.

Over the past decade, the consumer tide has certainly turned back in favour of premium Cabernet Franc, with its delicate floral perfume, subtle leafy red and black fruits, and its suave, elegant sensual texture all built around fine silky tannins and a mouth-watering acidity. The mean, green pyrazines of years gone by have been well and truly banished both in South Africa as well as across Europe where sales of Cabernet Franc wines are once again flourishing. One needs to look no further than the cultivar’s newly found planting popularity in Bolgheri and Coastal Tuscany to witness its broad international appeal in not only Bordeaux blends but in single varietal wines as well.

The UK launch tasting at La Trompette Restaurant in London.

The latest new release tasting took on extra meaning this year with the introduction of Bruwer Raats’ first new wine for almost a decade. It was of course 10 years ago with the 2014 vintage that Raats Family Wines launched the high-density single vineyard Eden Chenin Blanc and Eden Cabernet Franc, which is now finally being joined by the maiden Vlag Vineyard Selection Polkadraai Hills Cabernet Franc 2022, that Bruwer describes as “a celebration of Cabernet Franc… but executed in a new style.” The wine is a blend of two single Polkadraai Hills vineyards, one from lower slope vines planted in 2008 and one from high mid-slope vines planted in 2002. The resulting wine was aged in 33% concrete egg, 33% oak barrels (8% new French), and 33% in large foudre. The new releases are expected to retail in the UK for £75 per bottle for the Vlag and £115 per bottle for the Eden (R1,600 and R2,950 per bottle in South Africa). Both will be extremely tightly allocated as per usual.

Raats Family Wines Vlag Vineyard Selection Polkadraai Hills Cabernet Franc 2022, WO Polkadraai Hills, Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.

A fabulously rich, perfumed aromatics with plenty of fine detail, revealing an intriguing depth and power but also a crystalline clarity and purity of fruit. There is initially a subtle earthy, savoury black fruited note on opening which soon gives way to more elaborate aromas of pressed violets, cherry blossom, rose petals, thyme and hints of sandalwood and sweet cedar spice. This is an architectural masterpiece with finer lines and a more harmonious symmetry than even Enzo Ferrari could ever have conjured up. Beautifully weightless and texturally caressing in the mouth, the tannins are grippy, incredibly fine grained, but equally silky soft, balancing the complex layers of saline cassis, red currant, and red cherry fruit concentration to perfection. A wine with not only incredible precision but also a vibrant energy that is brought to life by seamlessly integrated zippy acids. Quite simply, this wine is an absolute pleasure to sip and savour. Not quite an iron fist in a velvet glove, but certainly an impressively powerful tannin profile combined with a majestic fruit purity. A Cabernet Franc for Cote Rotie drinkers? Maybe. Drink on release and over the next 10 to 15+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Raats Family Wines Eden High-Density Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2022, WO Polkadraai Hills, Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.

The Eden 2022 is another ultra confident showstopper from Bruwer Raats’ tiny 0.2-hectare vineyard. This pristine Eden Cabernet Franc displays the most tantalising intensity and florality on the nose with a notable depth, seductive power and a piercing perfume focus. High toned, lifted and utterly beguiling, the aromatics display an exotic fanned peacock’s tail of pressed violets, cherry blossom and dried lavender over notes of oregano, dried thyme, sweet cherry compote, saline crème de cassis, oystershell, pencil shavings and delicate blueberry rock candy nuances. The palate is always underpinned by incredibly fine tannins but with this 2022, the vivacity, concentration and freshness of the accompanying acids bring immeasurable joy to the palate, seamlessly counterbalancing the complex red and black berry fruit intensity. This wine is all about purity, precision, and persistence, with a mouthfeel texture of silk and the most polished fine-grained granitic mineral tannins imaginable. This is surely as close as you are going to get to perfection with a young, energetic, premium Cabernet Franc in South Africa? Drink on release an over the next 10 to 15+ years. (598 bottles produced.)

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)