Good Cab Franc isn’t as elusive as it was 10 years ago
| RAATS: home of the most successful SA Cab Franc and the man who’s done most to create a market for Cape versions of the variety |
MORE PLEASE! Red Jasper has got many of the delicious things you might dream about in a good Bordeaux-style blend. While perhaps a little too forward for some, it’s a fine example of the many lovely red things that Stellenbosch vintner Bruwer Raats comes up with at various cellars apart from straight Cabernet Franc… Cab Franc is what he’s been most successful with over the past decade, and while some will be critical of the decision to expand his range of wines, others will welcome the introduction of a different variation on a theme…
Raats, together with fellow Stellenbosch producer Warwick, has led the way in developing a market for South African reds made from a variety that most winemakers only use as a small component in a Cabernet Sauvignon- or Merlot-driven blend, if at all. In an about turn, so to speak, Red Jasper is mostly Cab Franc, with other Bordeaux varieties performing the supporting role for a change.
Cabernet Franc has long frustrated cellarmasters wary of its austerity, fearful of the green character that can result when you don’t get it right in the vineyard or cellar. However the number of Cape wineries whose Cab Franc efforts command respect has grown to 20 or so – including Buitenverwachting, KWV, La Petite Ferme, Longridge and Raka. Moreover, not all of the wines are high-priced – relatively speaking, recent releases of Ridgeback and Zorgvliet expressions have offered particularly good value, and it was just last year that Raats introduced a second-tier Cabernet Franc for sale under the Dolomite label at around R100pb (versus well over R300 for the flagship).
| Not in the same league as the flagship from Raats, but a much more affordable version |
Here are the vintages that have done the category proud in terms of good reviews locally and/or internationally during the past couple of years:
Avontuur 2009
Buitenverwachting 2009
Claime d’Or 2009
Druk My Niet 2009
KWV The Mentors 2010
Lisha Nelson 2008
Longridge 2007
Oldenburg 2009
| Mostly Cabernet Franc, with other Bordeaux varieties in supporting roles for a change |
Raats 2009
Raats 2010
Raka 2009
Ridgeback 2007
Von Ortloff Quintessence 2008
Warwick 2008
Warwick 2009
Whalehaven 2007
Zorgvliet Silver Myn 2007
Click here for details of the ratings and awards given for these wines as well as the prices ex-cellar. Or click here to read more about Cabernet Franc.
