2024 Raaigras Grenache, AA Badenhorst Family Wines

• Style: Mineral, structured, refined
• Taste: Pale ruby with grainy tannins, granite soil grip, taut acidity
• Food: Grilled beef & lamb, roasted duck, aged cheese
• Occasion: Date night, gifting, cellar worthy
• Serve: 14–16°C, now through 2031

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

Pale ruby poured from a 72-year-old bush vine, this Grenache announces itself with mineral tension and taut structure. The granite soils of Kalmoesfontein sing through grainy, grippy tannins that resist softness in favour of refined precision. Fine acidity and textural snap—the hallmark of carefully grown Grenache—define the palate. Early drought and accelerated ripening in 2024 concentrated the fruit without losing its edges. At 14% ABV and pH 3.75, the wine sits in perfect balance: mineral and structured rather than rich, a wine that cuts through rather than cushions.

The Winery — A.A. Badenhorst Family Wines

Adi Badenhorst embodies the carefree spirit of South Africa's most adventurous region. Trained at Elsenberg and schooled at legendary estates including Château Angélus and Rustenburg, he and cousin Hein founded the family operation in 2008 on Kalmoesfontein farm, nestled in the Paardeberg. The vineyards, planted between the 1950s and 1970s, rest on varied slopes and ancient granite, quartz and iron-rich soils that yield fragrant, characterful wines. Hand-harvest and overnight cooling precede destemming and conical concrete tank fermentation. Twelve months in 500-litre barrels and bottling without filtration keep the wine unadorned and true to its site—a philosophy of minimal intervention that leaves the fruit and terroir to speak.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

This is the wine to reach for when grilled beef, lamb, roasted duck, or aged cheddar demands something with mineral precision. The Swartland has long championed winemakers uninterested in oak-heavy display; Adi's hands-on approach to bush vine farming and cellar restraint sits at the heart of what makes the region distinctive. If you're exploring Grenache & Garnacha beyond this bottle, or keen to discover what South Africa's most natural-leaning producers are crafting, this stands apart. Drink now with confidence, or cellar it for five to seven years of gentle evolution. Vegetarian and vegan-friendly.