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| Raoul Beaumont |
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A free-wheeling spirit, Raoul can only be described as an eccentric and perhaps, 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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