Rall Wines Noa Chenin Blanc 2023

Sailing majestically into its third vintage, this comes from a vineyard planted on the
Paardeberg in 1969 that's called La Rhine. Entirely fermented in a concrete egg, it has
mouth-watering freshness and focus, layers of aniseed, lime and lemon juice, salty minerality
and a tapering finish that lingers on the tongue.

With vines on granite soils, the Rall 2023 Swartland Chenin Blanc Noa comes from very old drought-resistant vines planted in 1969. This wine is not marketed as a single-vineyard expression, although that's exactly what it is. With this exceptional creation, vintner Donovan Rall sought to explore the "spirit of granite," as he says. He makes one concrete egg and a production of 1,800 bottles. The vineyard is just over two hectares and is located around the corner from Andrea Mullineux. This wine delivers a more powerful tannic bite that adds a spectacular level of crispness that is transmitted across star fruit, unripe peach and sliced red apple. With old-vine Chenin Blanc, you sometimes get a hint of rémoulade or celery root and a hint of bitterness. This wine shows a dry, pithy finish, a telltale sign of old-vine Chenin Blanc. This is the third vintage made. Donovan Rall's youngest daughter, Noa, was born in 2020, and the first vintage of the wine named in her honor was made in 2021. The style is inward-looking and reductive in personality, but it also has a lot of inner energy for long cellar-aging potential. This is one seriously beautiful wine.

Very pure and fresh, showing aromas of lemon rind, sliced apples, honeycomb and wild green herbs. Precise on the palate with a medium body and vibrant acidity. Tight structure.