Novum: Pushing the Marlborough Envelope

One of the region's most respected small producers, Novum – the brainchild of husband and wife Will Hoare and Rachel Jackson-Hoare – is responsible for some of New Zealand's most critically acclaimed wines in recent years.

Established in 2016, Novum has since been instrumental in helping establish a collective benchmark for the quality potential of modern Marlborough, through the use of chardonnay and pinot noir specifically, with a small amount of syrah. Everything is hand harvested from just a couple of single vineyard sites – chardonnay from the stony central Wairau Valley; pinot and syrah from the sun-drenched, deep clay-laden Brancott Valley – and fermented naturally, with very little interference between then and bottling.

Will and Rach of Novum, Marlborough

“We started this as we wanted to focus exclusively on old vines,” explains Will, a second generation grower who was previously general manager at Fromm for 19 years, following time at Au Bon Climat; Rachel, meanwhile – a winemaker with expertise in geology and hydrology – was in demand in vineyards and cellars across Oregon, Burgundy and New Zealand. Decades of wine mastery exists between the pair, meaning every grape, vine, plot, picking decision and barrel selection is considered with the confidence to back it up. Everything else is simply site and artistic expression.

The “old vines” they work with are some of the region's most established, between 40 and 30 years of age – positively ancient for Marlborough, and proven to be expertly placed.

”For us, it is not about ticking an obvious box. Of being organic or biodynamic, interventionist or non-interventionist winemakers. Instead for us it is about taking the best learnings from all areas of the winemaking and viticultural process and applying them to make the best wines we possibly can.”

Novum Chardonnay 2023

96 Points, Shanteh Wale, Halliday Wine Companion

Hand-picked from a single vineyard in the central Wairau Plains, planted in the mid-1980s, on greywacke stone.

Whole-bunch pressed, settled for 24hrs prior to transfer to French oak, 10% new. Natural fermentation, barrels stirred every full moon for greater suspension of lees. 13 months maturation before bottling without fining.

“Firework flint, lemon oil and yellow peach cheeks. Grapefruit sorbet and cold butter log. Almond milk creaminess with a deft handling of oak on the palate. Cumin, powdered ginger and white pepper. This delivers the charitable dimensions of chardonnay with a breeze of gently rolling acidity and brilliance of a chiselled precious stone. Peach cream and baked meringue on the finish. Drinking beautifully and will age further. Wonderful to see the confidence and precision from a new player. Very exciting.” – Shanteh Wale

Novum Pinot Noir 2023

95 Points, Shanteh Wale, Halliday Wine Companion

Sourced exclusively from the famed 1998-planted Quarters Vineyard in the Brancott Valley, on heavy clay loam soils.

Handpicked, de-stemmed into open top fermenters for five days prior to natural fermentation with daily pump overs. Pressed after 35 days on skins and racked to French oak barriques, 20% new. 12 months maturation in barrel prior to blending and bottling.

“Alluring red cherries, fig hearts and lingonberry jam. Fallen autumn leaves and raw cacao beans. A smattering of orange bitters and apple skin. Densely packed, powdery tannins stand tall amongst the freshness of crunchy acidity. There is a pumice stone mineral quality and plenty of length and line. This is only beginning to hit its straps and will cellar well for another few years. Novum are bursting from the gates and taking charge.” – Shanteh Wale

Novum Organic Rosé 2022

Crafted from the same fruit as the Novum Pinot Noir, from the Quarters Vineyard in the Brancott Valley. A portion of the pinot noir juice was saignéed off the pinot noir fermenters and transferred to stainless steel.

Natural fermentation with the addition of a cultured yeast to ensure complete dryness. No MLF, filtered and bottled after six months.

Bone dry in style. Fresh and energetic with wild berry notes and stone fruit flesh. It's juicy through the mid-palate, supported by textural weight and beautiful chalky acidity, leading to a long, lingering finish.

Completely more-ish and an exceptional example of Pinot Noir Rosé.

Novum Basket Press Syrah 2021 94 Points, Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review

Sourced from Novum's home vineyard, on heavy clay soils, which has just one acre of syrah planted (with 2% viognier interspersed between vines). Close-planted at 1.1 by 1.5 metres.

Hand-harvested and de-stemmed into open top fermenters, natural fermentation with 2-3 pump overs per day. Racked and transferred to French oak puncheons (30% new) after 35 days on skins. 12 months maturation before blending and bottling.   

This is a dense, peppery syrah with violet, plum, dark berry and spicy oak flavours. An appealing sweet fruit is nicely balanced by drying tannins. Scented, voluptuous wine with a moderately silken texture and impressively lengthy finish.