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A free-wheeling spirit, Raoul can only be described as an eccentric, and
perhaps an enfant terrible! He spent heady years in Ibiza, the
artist hotspot of the '60s. Ever the aesthete, Raoul married Jayne - an
artist in the Cape - and their creativity lead to the Beaumont Wines.
Their son, Sebastian now in charge of vines and cellar, created the
range of RAOUL's wines to capture the eccentric, free spirit of his father.
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Raoul
also had a passion for Harley's. Never without one, he was often seen
cruising the vineyards and orchards checking on plant development. He
bought his last bike in 2007. It is with great sadness that Raoul "took
to the skies on his Harley" in January this year, free at last from the
shackles of pills, pain and failing health. The Beaumonts are left with
an enormous hole in their lives with the loss of a husband, father and
friend extraordinaire. He touched so many lives --- as someone said ---
with gruff compassion.
It is heartening that Raoul was involved in the development of RAOUL's and that he saw both its launch and its quick success. Cheers!
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| RAOUL'S WILLOW TREE 2007
80% Chenin Blanc, 20% Chardonnay
Vibrant
aromatics that follow through in the taste with wonderful crunchy apple
and creamy pears. This is a refreshing companion to Raoul’s Old Basket
Press.
3 star  quaffer, John Platter "Quaffability & interest in 07. Satisfying citrus/fruit concentration captured in crisp, medium bodied mouthful"
90 pts, KensWineGuide
"This wine is one of the best white wines I have had from South Africa
recently. This very light white gold wine opens with a very appealing
ripe apple like bouquet with a touch of honeydew melon. On the palate,
this wine is light bodied, smooth, tasty, clean, & displays very
appealing green apple flavors with a hint of minerality. The finish is
dry, refreshing and lingers nicely. This is a very food friendly wine
that would be excellent with broiled scallops and lemon."
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| RAOUL'S OLD BASKET PRESS 2007
32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23.5% Shiraz, 17.5% Merlot, 14.7% Cabernet Franc, 9% Petit Verdot, 3.3% Malbec
Years
ago, this wine was made exclusively for Raoul and mainly consisted of
Tinta Barocca, a version that is now sold in South Africa and Europe.
Sebastian
came to the US in Nov 2006 with a wine mission : find out what
Americans really like. After three weeks of intensive blind tastings,
he went back to the farm in Bot River with a few extra bottles. Just
before harvest, he took these bottles out and tasted them again - to
compare and understand them in the context of his
now-adjusted-back-to-South-African-wine palate. With this firmly
blazened in his wine memory, Sebastian made this blend just for us.
Although more jammy and soft than the gruffer tinta-based wine they
make, the US version has clean lines and expresses a comfortable style
: It’s easy to enjoy the broody black fruits that are perked up by a
razor line of acidity and dusted wth a touch of spice and gentle
tannins. Some initial earth in the aromatics gives way to full fruit
flavors in the glass.
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