Novum Riverbrook Vineyard Chardonnay 2024

Established by William and Rachel Hoare, Novum specialises in small-production wines from selected Marlborough vineyards, drawing on their extensive experience in New Zealand and international winemaking. Riverbrook Vineyard, planted by William's parents around 1979–1980, occupies an ancient riverbed in the central Wairau Valley, where free-draining greywacke stones provide a warm growing environment for some of Marlborough's oldest Chardonnay vines. The vineyard is planted entirely to the Mendoza clone, prized for its naturally concentrated fruit and structural intensity. The 2024 was hand-harvested and whole-bunch pressed before undergoing spontaneous fermentation in French oak barrels, 10% new. The wine remained on its lees for thirteen months, with monthly stirring, before bottling in March 2025. It combines ripe pear, pineapple and citrus with roasted hazelnut, brioche and subtle oak spice. The palate is concentrated and finely structured, with lemon curd, grapefruit and savoury lees complexity supported by fresh acidity and a long, precise finish.