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Buy OnlineIt's really exciting seeing some new labels appearing on the New Zealand wine scene, almost like a changing of the guard is happening as we are seeing the next generation of wine makers come through and make their mark.
The Hawkes Bay based Three Fates is an exciting project started by three talented and passionate female winemakers Holly Girven Russell, Hester Nesbitt and Casey Motley. The trio of women behind the brand have always worked with a sense of curiosity, using an intuitive approach to winemaking garnered from a decade spent working in wineries across the world.
This Chenin Blanc is a very special release that has been made in conjunction with Holly's dad, Gordon Russel a winemaker with more than three decades of experience at Esk Valley and a particular love of Chenin Blanc. The grapes come off the revered Two Terraces vineyard in Mangatahi – Handpicked, foot stomped, and macerated overnight, the fruit was pressed to a mix of tank and an old 500L oak puncheon.
We have to admit to drinking a few bottles of this recently as it is just that good. We think Yvonne's review below is spot on!
Winery notes (2024 Vintage)
"A special collaboration between Three Fates and luminary winemaker Gordon Russell, this Chenin Blanc comes from the Two Terraces Vineyard in the Mangatahi Terraces of Hawke’s Bay. Handpicked, foot stomped, and macerated overnight, the fruit was pressed to a mix of tank and an old 500L oak puncheon, letting nature take the lead.
Rich, full-bodied, and textured, this wine is packed with bold flavours of pineapple, passionfruit, honey, chamomile and grapefruit pith, with a layer of quince rounding it out. The 2024 vintage —one of the best in years— brings intensity and balance, with the skins adding a lovely mouthfeel and depth. It’s a Chenin Blanc that’s both vibrant and complex, with a nod to the wines of Vouvray.
The label, in bright yellow, ties it all together. The artwork is an adaptation of Fane Flaws’ “The Bird Watcher,” a piece that’s been a part of the Russell family home since 2004. A fitting tribute to the blend of tradition, family, and the evolving vision of Three Fates."
5 Stars Yvonne Lorkin, February 2025 (2024 Vintage)
"From Ian and Linda Quinn’s Two Terraces vineyard out in Mangatahi west of Hastings, this wild-fermented collaboration between Holly, Hester and Casey from Three Fates, and Holly’s father Gordon Russell (ex-Esk Valley) one of New Zealand’s pioneer Chenin Blanc masters. Aromas of mandarin, jasmine, peach and yellow apple leap out of the glass then merge with a full, generous palate that’s plush with apricot, yellow plum, citrus and creamy complexity. It’s a mouthwatering style that is ultimately food-friendly and quite frankly, unputdownable."
