Black Estate Chenin Blanc 2024

Vineyard

The 2024 Black Estate Home Chenin Blanc was grown on our 12 hectare Home Vineyard located 6 kilometres north east of the Waipara Junction, in the Omihi sub-district of Waipara Valley, North Canterbury. This is a north facing sedimentary clay fan on a gentle hill side slope. The soils are mainly Awapuni clay with calcium carbonate deposits. The Chenin Blanc vineyard that sits in the belly of the slope above the original vineyard is 0.5 hectares. Chenin Blanc clones 220 and 880 grow on 3309 root stock and were planted at 6133 vines per hectare in 2011 by the Naish Family. Home Vineyard became fully certified organic with BioGro in March 2017. The Home vineyard was first certified Demeter on March 22 2022. 

Season 

Winter and early spring rainfalls meant vines started the growing season in spring with adequate soil moisture. This continued through December which allowed good spring growth. Some intermittent rain around flowering meant fruit set was disrupted and developing bunches were small. Warm dry weather from January to April provided low disease pressure and good ripening for developing grape bunches. Cool nights in March retained acidity and slowed ripening. Hand harvest began in early March where small clusters of ripe concentrated disease free fruit was received. Settled weather continued right through harvest which was completed on April 9.

Harvest

Hand harvested on 9 April 2024

Harvest  2.1T Yield = 0.58kg/vine Brix 22.8 TA 8.4g/ L MA 2.3g/L pH 8.4

Fermentation

Whole bunch pressed over 4 hours in a bag press. Juice drained to tank settled for 12 hours and then transferred to 600L Demi Muid barrels. Fermented using a Home Vineyard yeast starter. 100% barrel fermentation and maturation for 15 months. 100% Malolactic fermentation. Bottled un-fined and unfiltered with no added sulphites. 

Bottled

131 (12 x 750ml) cases bottled in one lot under screw cap on June 19 2025.

R.S 2.5 g/L      TA 5.6 g/L       pH 3.45      Dry extract 19.8 g/L    

Total SO2 <10g/L  VA 0.55 g/L Alcohol 12.5%

Straw/white hue. Aromas of an apple orchard, lemon zest, camomile, straw, honey comb, and lanolin. The palate is bright, saline, complex, and powerful with flavours of apricot, nashi pear, blackcurrant leaf, and apple. This is an unfiltered and un-sulphured wine with small amounts of sediment. Please allow the bottle to stand and settle before carefully decanting. This will allow maximum expression of aroma and puacifrity of fruit to emerge.

Drink now to 2037.