Chenin Blanc, Ava, 2024
The more expressive, confident older sister to the shier, more reserved Noa. The most gorgeous texture here, the Ava Chenin 2021 marries a succulency of apples, stone fruit and honey with a touch of hay and oak and plum stones. Intense and reverberating but not heavy, just lots to like. Really long and focussed with a concentration and breadth that should see this develop handsomely in bottle. One of the Cape’s best Chenins. From schist-driven soils, fermented and aged in small, used oak barrels, the total production rarely exceeds 1,300bts.
critic reviews
The Rall 2024 Swartland Chenin Blanc Ava reflects a shift in harvest timing to achieve a tighter and more focused profile. Oxidation is remarkably stable in this vintage, giving the wine a restrained and controlled expression that will require time to evolve. Gorgeous yet currently reserved, it promises depth beneath its quiet exterior. The decomposed granite soils of Swartland often yield Chenin Blancs with both breadth and structure, yet in this case, the wine is deliberately held back, emphasizing tension over immediate generosity. The Noa is more showy at this stage, but Ava needs more bottle time to fully realize its beautiful potential.
The 2024 Chenin Ava is naturally fermented and aged in 400-litre older French oak. This has a delectable bouquet with lanolin, walnut and light dried honey aromas that blossom in the glass. Fine delineation. The palate is very well balanced with ample weight, gorgeous waxy texture, with an assiduous dash of spice on the finish. It displays just the right amount of tension and sapidity to have you going back for more.