Donovan’s Comments:

“Consisting of Chenin Blanc 68%, Verdelho 28% and Viognier 4% this wine that started it all for Rall Wines back in 2008 still remains our main focus 15 years on. Grown mainly in granitic soils with all components fermented naturally and matured separately in a combination of 225 and 500 litre seasoned French oak and concrete before blending and bottling after 10 months. The 2021 vintage white has great purity and tension from higher natural acidity and resulting low pH giving an aging potential of easily 10 years from vintage. 9,128 bottles produced.”

Blend: Chenin Blanc 68%, Verdelho 28% and Viognier 4%

Considered one of the best white blends coming out of South Africa right now, winemaker Donovan Rall has sourced the grapes for this 68% Chenin Blanc based blend withVerdelho and Viognier from seven vineyards across the Cape Winelands. Incredible complexity on the nose and palate, this vintage of the Rall White shows the highest-ever levels of acidity providing a mouth-watering snap. Each varietal was fermented and matured separately for 10 months in mostly seasoned French oak before being blended and bottled at 12 months.

NOSE & PALATE

“An infinitely complex nose with notes of dried flowers, pear, peach, citrus, apple, baking spice and white pepper. The palate is clean and focused, the acidity providing snap, the finish long and pithy. Precisely made but also somehow effortless, this combines great clarity of fruit with plenty of detail.” – Christian Eedes

PAIRING

Some flavourful southeast Asian cuisine – think Banh Mi or sweet and sour pork.

ACCOLADES

5 Stars (96 Points) – Platter’s 2023 SA Wine Guide
95 points – Tim Atkin 2022 SA Wine Report

Donovan Rall is one of the key figures in South Africa’s explosive New Wave movement. One of the original “garagista” producers in the Swartland, Donovan can now proudly say that he makes some of the most highly sought-after wines in the country. Well-travelled, affable, and ambitious, he trained at the University of Stellenbosch in viticulture and enology with David Sadie, amongst others, then worked in wineries across Europe and Australia before returning to South Africa in 2007. There he joined Eben Sadie as an assistant winemaker but in the space of a year, he had six barrels tucked away under his own name, and the inaugural Rall White was born. An immediate critical success, Donovan struck out on his own and he has not looked back, still buying up small parcels of top-quality fruit, contracting vineyards, and strengthening his reputation as a master blender. Over time he has fine-tuned his own winemaking style towards fresher, more vivid wines, and the wines have never looked better. Fermentations are natural and spontaneous with no interventions, and aging takes place in various vessels including concrete, cask and amphora depending on the variety. Primarily Swartland based, Donovan also takes prime fruit from the Piekenierskloof, Darling and Stellenbosch regions, and consults on various projects around the country.