Raats Family Wines, 2020 Cabernet Franc, Polkadraai Hills, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Cab Franc du Jour #140
When it comes to Cabernet Franc in South Africa, the grape’s flag-bearer is unquestionably Bruwer Raats of Raats Family Wines. Bruwer comes from a family of farmers, and wine was always part of his upbringing. After completing his viticulture and winemaking studies at Elsenburg Agricultural College in 1995, he had a formative experience working his first harvest at Blaauwklippen Winery, where he tasted the estate’s Cabernet Franc from barrel and was instantly captivated by the variety’s quality and elegance. At the time, Cabernet Franc was regarded as little more than a blending grape in South Africa, but Bruwer saw the potential for the variety in Stellenbosch and decided in that moment that when he established his own winery, Cabernet Franc would be his focus alongside Chenin Blanc, one of South Africa’s most historically significant varieties.
In 2000, Bruwer purchased two hectares of land in the Polkadraai Hills and established Raats Family Wines with the sole intention of producing high-quality Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Today he works with about 15 hectares of Cabernet Franc, from which he produces four single-varietal wines: the Raats Family Cabernet Franc and the Dolomite Cab Franc, both expressions blended across multiple vineyard sites, and two single-vineyard bottlings, the Eden High Density and the newest addition, the Vlag Vineyard Selection.
Cabernet Franc in South Africa
It may come as a surprise to many that the most planted variety in South Africa is Chenin Blanc, with around 16,485ha under vine, more than is planted in the entire Loire Valley. That abundance of Chenin Blanc might suggest a similarly strong foothold for other cool-climate varieties, but Cabernet Franc tells a different story. Cabernet Sauvignon leads all red varieties with over 9,100ha, while Cabernet Franc currently accounts for only about 796 hectares in total, with Stellenbosch leading the way at around 350 hectares, followed by Paarl at 168 hectares and Swartland at about 75 hectares. Despite these modest numbers, the grape is grown in every wine region in the country, more and more producers are releasing single-varietal expressions, and an annual festival and competition celebrating the variety has taken root.
The Polkadraai Hills
Today’s wine takes us to the Stellenbosch district and, more specifically, the Polkadraai Hills ward, one of eight official wards within Stellenbosch. Though the first vines were planted in the Polkadraai Hills as far back as 1707, the region only received Wine of Origin status in 2008. When Bruwer established his winery here in 2000, it was jokingly referred to by fellow winemakers as the “ass-end of Stellenbosch.” In recent years, however, the area has undergone something of a renaissance and is now producing some of the most exciting wines not just in Stellenbosch but in all of South Africa, thanks to its cooler climate, granitic soils, and a small, close-knit community of passionate and talented producers.
The Polkadraai Hills is the westernmost ward in the Stellenbosch district, sitting only about 10 to 13km inland from False Bay, with its western boundary roughly 10km east of Cape Town Airport. False Bay remains cold year-round due to the icy waters brought by the Benguela Current, and this proximity gives the region a measurably cooler climate across all seasons. The vineyard area is defined by a series of predominantly south-facing slopes, important to note in the southern hemisphere where south-facing aspects are the cooler ones, ranging in elevation from around 120 to upwards of 400m above sea level.
During the growing season, afternoon breezes off False Bay arrive from the southeast and are channelled across these south-facing slopes, slowing ripening, moderating temperatures, and preserving natural acidity. The soils are dominated by decomposed granite with a higher proportion of sand in the topsoil, offering good drainage and low fertility.
The Vineyard
The Raats Family Cabernet Franc is sourced from approximately two hectares of vines across two vineyard sites, the Bluegum Grove and a second adjacent site, both at around 200m above sea level, about 13km from False Bay, and on those south-facing slopes. The soils are decomposed dolomite granite sandy-loams over a subsoil of granitic silt, loam, and clay. Both vineyards were planted in 2002 with Clone 214, the only clone Bruwer works with across all of his sites. In a conversation back in 2020, he described Clone 214 as the “Rolls Royce” of Cabernet Franc clones, and has noted more recently that working with quality vine material, alongside the estate’s switch to regenerative agriculture, has been one of the key drivers of improvement across his entire range.
In the Cellar
The fruit is hand-harvested, mostly destemmed and crushed, with about 15% whole cluster retained in the 2020 vintage. It undergoes a cold soak of approximately five days before alcoholic fermentation begins in stainless steel with selected yeast at a target temperature of around 28C. Total skin contact is about 10 days, with gentle punchdowns once per day. Following a gentle pressing, the free-run and press wines are blended together and aged in 300L and 500L French oak barrels with 25% new oak.
Wine Details
Producer: Raats Family Wines
Region: Coastal Region
District: Stellenbosch
Ward: Polkadraai Hills
Vineyard: Bluegum Grove and Skoonheid vineyards
Soils: Decomposed dolomite granite sandy-loam, over granitic clay-loam and silt-loam
Alcohol: 14.0%