COLOUR
White
TYPE
Still
VINTAGE
2023
GRAPE
Grenache Blanc
PRODUCER
Rall Wines
REGION
Western Cape
CHARACTERISTICS
Body
Medium - Full
Sweetness
Dry
Acidity
Medium - High
Finish
Long
Intensity
Mid - Pronounced
Tannins
Medium - Low
AROMAS & FLAVOURS
ABOUT THIS WINE
Donovan Rall is a key figure in South Africa's 'New Wave' wine movement, launching his boutique label in 2008 after training under Eben Sadie. The 2023 Grenache Blanc is a unique expression, blending fruit from high-altitude, dry-farmed bush vines in Piekenierskloof with schist-grown fruit from Swartland. Because of this cross-regional blend, it carries the broader Western Cape appellation. Rall focuses on capturing the potential of younger bush vines, coaxing remarkable depth and complexity from them.
ALCOHOL
12.5%
AVG. PRICE
€30
STYLE
Natural
VEGAN
YES
SULPHITES
When to drink
Now or Later
Ideal temperature
10-12°C
INTERESTING FACTS
Fact 01
Only 5,652 bottles of this highly allocated 2023 vintage were produced by winemaker Donovan Rall.
Fact 02
To avoid oxidation without using oak, Rall ages this wine in concrete eggs and clay amphorae.
Fact 03
15% of the grapes undergo skin contact, giving this white wine a subtle, textured phenolic grip.
FOOD PAIRING
Read more
WINE MAKING PROCESS
The winemaking is low-intervention and natural. Grapes are hand-harvested and whole-bunch pressed directly into fermentation vessels without settling. Spontaneous fermentation is carried out by wild yeasts. To build structure, 15% of the fruit undergoes skin fermentation. The wine is aged for 8 months on its primary lees in concrete eggs and a small portion of clay amphorae, with 0% oak influence. The concrete eggs facilitate natural lees suspension, protecting the wine from oxidation and imparting a subtle, flinty reduction.
