{"product_id":"2025-chenin-blanc-tf-x-gordon-russell","title":"2025 Chenin Blanc (TF x Gordon Russell)","description":"\u003cp class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-start para-style-body\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\"\u003eFrom the late ripening Two Terraces vineyard in the Mangatahi Terraces, owned and farmed by Ian and Linda Quinn. This is a collaboration with luminary winemaker and Chenin Blanc master, Gordon Russell.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-start para-style-body\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\"\u003eIn 2025 we had the honour of also including the fruit from what we’ve dubbed “The Golden Slope,” a collection of 200 bush vines in the front yard of the Quinn’s house. This added an extra intensity to the blend with it’s incredible acid structure and pureness of fruit\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-start para-style-body\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\"\u003eWe worked with the wine as three parcels: the slope, the pineappley clone 220 and the more appley clone 880. Each parcel was treated differently with the 220 foot stomped and soaked for texture, the 880 whole bunch pressed for purity and the whole lot fermented with wild yeasts. Eventually the parcels were brought together to form a harmonious blend.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-start para-style-body\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\"\u003eRich, full-bodied, and textured, this wine is packed with bold flavours of pineapple, passionfruit, beeswax, and grapefruit pith, with a layer of quince rounding it out.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-start para-style-body\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/playlist\/1rpcBOS3hjwyVVam7nGIxB?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis collaboration was a special opportunity to work with Holly’s father, Gordon Russell, who has long been our sounding board but got to take the reins this time. Here are his musings on the wine…\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eIt seems as if Chenin Blanc has always been part of my winemaking DNA.  The day I walked into the Esk Valley cellar to take up a role as Assistant Winemaker in late 1989, little did I realise that this grape would be a part of my winemaking life for the forthcoming 30+ years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eBarrels of Chenin Blanc resting in our barrel hall, later to be bottled as ”wood aged “ Chenin Blanc, were to become a staple of the Esk Valley range. Those early years were tough for the grape as its acreage diminished rapidly, resulting in our source of our fruit changing numerous times. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot become the fashionable grapes with Chenin Blanc being reserved for either the true enthusiast or the older generation still living in yesteryear. Quickly we became one of an ever-diminishing group of producers championing this noble and historic grape. It all seemingly came to an end in 2015 when our final grape supply contract ended. With it a legacy that stretched back to 1988, it appeared I had made my last wine from this chameleon grape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eIt was therefore very exciting four years later to receive Chenin Blanc grapes from Ian and Linda Quinn’s “Two Terraces Vineyard” in 2019.  It was as if the variety had found its true home in Hawkes Bay on a river terrace formed by the Ngaruroro River at Mangatahi. With its gravelly soils, cool nights, very hot days, and an unrivalled attention to detail from the Quinn’s, the fruit was a revelation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe artwork is an adaptation of a Fane Flaws painting named the “Bird Watcher’, which has brightened a wall of the Russell household since it was first hung in 2004. Given its yellow earthy tones it only seemed natural that this piece of art with all its memories would find its place onto the label of this first Three Fates collaboration.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Three Fates Wine","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43078463586513,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0566\/8827\/9761\/files\/6_bd095e00-3485-4266-98a0-63ea10a40c25.png?v=1736818062","url":"https:\/\/threefateswine.com\/products\/2025-chenin-blanc-tf-x-gordon-russell","provider":"Three Fates Wine","version":"1.0","type":"link"}