Jasper has early childhood memories of tasting wine with his dad on Sundays. That started an interest that, together with his experiences in the vineyards of his godfather and living with his winemaker brother, culminated in him eventually forging a career in winemaking. "Actually it is more of a hobby than a job to me, I love what I do, the soil, to feel the sun, to freeze your ass off during pruning in the winter...., to smell and taste in the wine, the flavours you were hoping for. It's very satisfying, creating something that other people can enjoy.
It also keeps me humble and close to my God, there is so much in the process that is not up to man, and so much that we don't yet understand about vines and wine.
Jasper was born and raised in South Africa and is one of the ninth generation of his family in Africa. Winemaking is in his blood; the first members from his mother's side of the family were French Huguenots and came from the winelands of the central Loire Valley. Not surprising then that his family's winery in South Africa (Raats Family Wines) produces Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, two traditional Loire varieties. www.raats.co.za
One of the many aspects Jasper enjoys about winemaking is the travelling. "I love seeing new places and meeting new people and winemaking gave me that chance". Accordingly he worked in California, with the great Pierre Seillan from Verite (Jackson Family Estates), in Burgundy, Pouilly-Fume and Sancerre."
At the beginning of 2003 he moved from South Africa to New Zealand, where he joined the Henri Bourgeois team of Clos Henri, making the wine with Sally and managing the vineyards. He now has his own winemaking and viticultural consultancy company, Vigneron Consulting Limited.
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Sally Raats (nee Denious), grew up in Colorado, and originally pursued a career in foreign affairs in Washington DC and Russia before she 'saw the light' and followed her childhood dream of becoming a winemaker.
Leaving the States at 26 years of age to study winemaking and viticulture at Roseworthy University in Adelaide Australia, she fell in love with the Australasian wine industry and particularly the New Zealand region of Marlborough for its iconic Sauvignon Blanc wines.
While working in France during harvest, Sally became acquainted with the Sancerre winemaking family of Henri Bourgeois and has since begun and managed Clos Henri, their developing vineyard and winery in Marlborough, and with Jasper made the first wines in 2003.
Sally learned in both Sancerre and Marlborouh the heights of where Sauvignon Blanc as a variety can go in terms of winemaking and Sancerre, France also provided the setting for Sally and Jasper's first meeting during the 2001 harvest. |
