Ava is Donovan Rall's schist-driven Chenin Blanc, named for his daughter and sourced from old bush vine sites across the Swartland. It sits alongside Ava Syrah as the schist half of Rall's single-site range, a step up in precision and detail from the Rall White that first built his name. Production is tiny and the wine is sold on allocation only.

Sourced from old bush vine Chenin Blanc vineyards on schist soils in the Swartland. Donovan Rall owns no vineyards himself; he farms in close partnership with growers, working with viticulturist Rosa Kruger to identify old, low-yielding sites suited to this style. 

Grapes are naturally fermented and matured separately by parcel, mostly in large-format foudre, before blending and bottling after around eleven months. No commercial yeast, added acid or new oak is used, in keeping with Rall's minimal intervention approach.

Tasting Notes: Matured for around eleven months in foudre, Ava Chenin Blanc has built a reputation, vintage after vintage, for restraint and control rather than overt richness. Expect a nose of hay, dried herbs, pear, peach and citrus, leading into a palate that critics have repeatedly described as strikingly pure: vivid fruit, bright acidity and a long, pithy, mineral finish. It's an elegant, tightly wound style built to reward a few years in bottle.

Food Pairing: Ava's combination of textural richness from foudre ageing and racy, schist-driven acidity makes it a genuinely food-flexible white, happy with more assertive dishes than a typical Chenin. Grilled langoustines or prawns with lemon butter: the wine's own citrus and pithy finish mirror the lemon, while its acidity cuts cleanly through the butter. Fresh oysters or a seafood platter: the wine's salinity and mineral edge are built for raw and lightly dressed shellfish. Roast chicken with root vegetables: a classic match. The wine's texture from foudre ageing has enough weight to sit alongside roasted, caramelised flavours. Thai-style green curry: the wine's bright acidity and herbal top notes can handle a little chilli heat and coconut cream without being overwhelmed. Young Gouda or Comté: nutty, semi-hard cheeses pick up on the wine's waxy, leesy complexity.