Decibel Hawke's Bay Chenin Blanc 2024

Description

Apple, Dry, Oak

"Clouds of lemon, honey and ginger unfurl across the nose of this softly perfumed chenin blanc. An ethereal and subtly persistent, off-dry rendition of the variety, this keeps drawing you back for more despite being very light on its feet. Beautifully balanced, the acidity never dominates, letting the wine's perfumed personality take centre-stage. A sensitively made, deliciously fine-tuned example" Stephen Wong, The Real Review, Dec 2025

Aromas are rich and creamy with cooked apple and fine-grained sandalwood, leading into notes of brioche and warm apple pie. The palate is fresh on entry before building a creamy mid-palate texture, reflecting the warm 2024 season. The finish is long and persistent with charred Granny Smith apple and a hint of ripe pink grapefruit, giving a polished and structured feel.

This Chenin Blanc comes from the certified organic Two Terraces vineyard in the Mangatahi Terraces near Maraekakaho, Hawke’s Bay. The site sits on ancient river terraces of the Ngaruroro River, with shallow stony silt loams over red metal soils and volcanic influences from the central North Island. The inland position and cool night temperatures encourage lifted aromatics, purity, and fine structure. The 2024 vintage was well balanced, with careful vineyard management allowing both clones to express clean, focused fruit.

The fruit was hand harvested and whole bunch pressed in two lots, separated by clone 220 and 880, picked a few days apart. The juice was settled in tank before being transferred to barrel, mostly 500L French puncheons including one new. Fermentation carried on slowly through winter, with careful handling as the wines gradually reached dryness, some retaining a touch of residual sugar for balance. The wines remained unsulphured for over seven months, with regular lees stirring to build texture and weight, before being racked in early 2025 and prepared for bottling in mid-February 2025.