Versatile, refreshing and incredibly age worthy. Chenin Blanc is one of the great grapes of the wine world for all these qualities and more and this one is made with grapes grown on Ian Quinn’s Two Terraces vineyard in Mangatahi, Hawke's Bay. Quinn, the grape grower, is an unapologetic devotee of Chenin Blanc, which he supplies to several passionate winemakers, including Gordon Russell of Esk Valley. 

Russell ferments this Chenin in stainless steel, maturing it in a concrete egg for six months on fine lees. It's dry in taste and literally just off dry in style with residual sugar of 5.8 grams per litre. 

New Zealand’s climate is exceptionally well suited to this stunning classic French white grape variety, as winemakers such as Gordon Russell of Esk Valley, has shown for decades through his passionate perseverance with this lively white grape. 

Chenin Blanc is one of the world's most versatile grape varieties because it can be used to make bone dry, full bodied whites, which both France and South Africa specialise in and it can also make super succulent sweeties. The grape's naturally high acidity adds balancing freshness to wines made from it, which retain a brightness and lively style. 

An absolute show stopper dry white wine made from the great Albarino grape - this wine has succulence, body and intense lemon, hazelnut and oatmeal flavours, all of which add to its full bodied appeal.
Thick skinned grapes in loose bunches with tiny berries are the story of the great white Albarino grape. These factors make it ideally suited to New Zealand?s maritime climate, which is similar to that of its homelands in north west Portugal and Spain. This grape?s intense acidity and later ripening combine to make a full bodied, dry, intensely deliciously succulent, refreshing white.
Winemaker Gordon Russell softens the high acidity by ageing the wine for one year in bottle in the cellar, pre release. He's also learning about optimum picking times, since it's still pretty early days for Albarino in New Zealand.

This new addition to the Esk Valley stable of wines is a lighter, more fragrant expression of Syrah, which represents a bit of a style departure from its siblings made from grapes grown on the Gimblett Gravels.
In this case, the wine is made from grapes grown on a 1.1 hectare vineyard at the top of The Terraces Vineyard at Bay View, just north of Napier city. The warmth of the limestone soils and the cooling sea breezes combine to ripen Syrah grapes slowly with hot days and cool nights, providing floral aromas supported by depth of dark fruit, black olive and fleshy red fruit notes. All grapes were hand picked and fermented as a mix of whole cluster bunches and destemmed fruit in a single concrete fermenter with wild yeasts. 

It’s made in small volumes and will age for up to and beyond 10 years.