Winemaker Notes
Jasper Red Blend is a tribute to Bruwer's late father, Jasper, who was one of Raats' founders and the viticulturist for nine years. This complex Cabernet Franc driven Bordeaux blend shows blackberry and black cherry on the nose, along with the perfume and violets one would expect from an 60% Cabernet Franc wine. The palate offers luscious brambly berry fruit intertwined with hints of tobacco, anise, and dark chocolate. Silky tannins caress the palate, and a lovely minerality shines through on the long, supple finish.
Blend: 44% Cabernet Franc, 25% Malbec, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 2% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2020 Jasper Red Blend is a blend of 44% Cabernet Franc, 25% Malbec, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot. This wine has a very focused and pure bouquet that has a real swagger about it, the 6% Petit Verdot imparting a seductive floral/crushed violet element. The palate is medium-bodied with a delineated entry, intense black cherries and subtle cassis notes, an underlying spiciness that blossoms on the finish that has real concentration and persistence. This is a very impressive Jasper that probably deserves a couple of years in bottle if you can resist temptation.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Opening to a bold and layered nose, the 2020 Red Jasper offers juicy dark red and black fruit essences that waft from the glass with subtle aromas of pencil shavings and roasted sweet red pepper. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is juicy and succulent with a ripe mouthfeel, succulent acidity and fine-grained tannins before ending with a firm but delightfully lingering and spicy finish. After the wine rested for 16 months in used French oak barrels, 16,000 bottles were produced.
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Wine Spectator
A well-knit red, showing good concentration to the notes of black currant and black plum reduction, with accents of iron, bay leaf and warm spices providing flattering details. Gains fine definition from lively acidity and lightly chalky tannins. Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Drink now through 2028. 1,000 cases made, 300 cases imported.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
South Africa’s most famous wine-producing district, Stellenbosch, surrounds the historic town with the same name; fine winemaking here dates back to the late 1600s. Its valleys of granite, sandstone and alluvial loam soils between the towering blue-grey mountains of Stellenbosch, Simonsberg and Helderberg have the capacity to produce beautiful wines from many varieties. The climate is warm Mediterranean, tempered by the cool Atlantic air of nearby False Bay.
Perhaps most well-known for its Pinotage and Bordeaux blends, Stellenbosch also produces noteworthy wines from Syrah, Chenin blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc. The district’s wards—Banghoek, Bottelary, Devon Valley, Jonkershoek Valley, Papegaaiberg, Polkadraai Hills and Simonsberg-Stellenbosch—all produce distinctive wines from vines with relatively low yields.