Barny

9.4

Wine 1500 🙈 ; opened for World Cup starting 2026 Mexico and South Africa; The cork popped off…; but still managed to get the fine juice out 😉; Vintage 2006, just like the „Summer Fairy Tale“ of the World Cup in Germany; and the wine leaves you wanting more „mehr Lust“, beautifully aged, fine fruit 😋 Wishing everyone a wonderful and peaceful World Cup — 12 days ago

Hermes Cuello

9.1

Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2015 is a legendary South African natural sweet wine, crafted from Muscat de Frontignan. Rich and opulent, it offers layers of honey, apricot, orange peel, and exotic spice, balanced by vibrant acidity. Lusciously sweet yet fresh and elegant, with a long, refined finish. — 3 months ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.1

Vintage 2015 | dark colour, morello cherries, sweet smoked bell pepper, sweetness and elegance — 4 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.2

Raats — Original Chenin Blanc 2023
Stellenbosch, South Africa 🇿🇦

Overview
An approachable, unoaked Chenin Blanc from Stellenbosch, delivering expressive aromatics, bright natural acidity, and effortless drinkability. Crafted in a clean, purity-driven style, this wine highlights Chenin’s fruit clarity and freshness rather than oak influence, making it an easygoing yet polished crowd pleaser.

Aromas & Flavors
Fresh melon, ripe pear, subtle citrus peel, and gentle tropical notes lead the nose. On the palate, juicy stone fruit and honeydew glide alongside light floral tones, finishing with clean citrus lift and refreshing clarity.

Mouthfeel
Light-to-medium bodied, supple, and silky with crisp acidity keeping everything lively and balanced. Smooth texture without weight or heaviness, making it dangerously easy to enjoy by the glass.

Food Pairings
Grilled chicken or shrimp skewers. Fresh salads with citrus vinaigrette. Sushi or ceviche. Soft cheeses and light antipasti. Perfect as an aperitif.

Verdict
A joyful, highly drinkable Chenin Blanc that delivers aromatic charm, freshness, and balance without trying to overcomplicate things. A reliable crowd favorite that showcases why South Africa continues to shine with Chenin.

Did You Know?
South Africa is the world’s largest producer of Chenin Blanc, where the grape is historically known as Steen. It thrives in the Cape’s sunshine and cooling maritime influences, allowing producers like Raats to craft styles ranging from crisp and approachable to world-class age-worthy bottlings.

🍷 Personal Pick
This is pure “easy pleasure” wine, aromatic, refreshing, and endlessly drinkable. Perfect for casual gatherings, warm afternoons, and effortless sipping when you want quality without overthinking the glass. — 5 months ago

Mark S.

9.0

Deep cherry red with violet. Black pepper. Blueberry blackberry leather nutmeg clove
Fruitiness M+ Sweetness M Acidity M Tannin M+ Soft Bitterness M Body M+ Finish M 14% Elegant but Concentrated Robust Mullineux Family Wines Swartland Syrah 23 @6160, AD, 251225 — 6 months ago

Jonathan Warren

9.1

This was fantastic honey, apple, waxy, and mineral all for less than 20 dollars — 7 months ago

Matt Schwartz

9.0

High acidity and light bodied with bright red fruit flavors — 11 days ago

David White

9.3

See earlier notes — 19 days ago

Day Watson

10

Fruit forward, medium bodied, some acid, spice, a splash of tannin. Well rounded! So worth your time. — 3 months ago

Louis Martin

9.1

Light fruity aroma, dark red, medium body, dry and succulent, dark fruit flavor, paired nicely with venison. — 4 months ago

Donald Williams

9.3

We really enjoyed this. — 5 months ago

with Bonnie

shaun house

9.3

Good with food. — 5 months ago

with Nadine

Vijay Parikh

9.4

A 2012 Latour with a 90 minute decant showed what a first growth could be post its first growth stage. With the usual Latour signature it was very drinkable considering its relative youth. One more bottle in the cellar — 6 months ago

Doug Powers

9.0

Blackberry,mulberry, nicely rich and ripe, good balance, medium-long finish, quite good! — 22 days ago

with Jim

Jan A

9.6

Soft and round, a point for my palate.

I've had limited experience with first growths until now and I always was blown away by how young these first growths presented themselves (70's/80's). Most were much older than the 1996 of today, so I was pleased to see that this was so approachable. — a month ago

Ana Bumgardner

9.0

3/19/26 - Boma African buffet - 2025 vintage - really solid chard — 3 months ago

David White

9.3

Forrester’s Mighty Chenin
Excellent nose and palate of citrus lemon limes melons and long lasting flavours. One of the best Cape Chenin’s over the years.
Top stuff — 5 months ago

Charlie Elliott

9.1

No harm in that — 5 months ago

John Howard

Harvest production at Hirsch and Cobb Wineries

9.2

Delish and interesting. — 5 months ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.2

Vintage 2018 | paired with turkey cream sauce — 6 months ago