ARBOR NOVAE
Inspired by Nature. Crafted to give back.
Meaning ‘New Trees’ in Latin the Arbor Novae collection is exclusive to our Wine Club members. They are small batch creations, crafted to express the unique terroir of Margaret River and Great Southern. For every bottle of Arbor Novae sold we will be donating $1.50 to Carbon Positive Australia to support local tree planting and landscape restoration. The labels feature original artwork from renowned West Australian artist Andy Quilty.
Carbon Positive Australia
We’ve formed a partnership with Carbon Positive Australia, an environmental charity that has been working to mitigate the impacts of climate change through action, education and collaboration since 2001.
For each bottle of Arbor Novae wine sold we will donate $1.50 directly to Carbon Positive Australia – it will be help resource tree planting projects in WA and NSW that sequester carbon, increase biodiversity and restore degraded landscapes.
Over the last 20 years their initiatives have seen over 6 million trees planted and 650,000 tonnes of carbon captured. Every 12 bottles from the Arbor Novae collection, enjoyed by our members will, over time, add close to another tonne of captured CO2 to that tally.
This partnership is one of the many initiatives Howard Park have committed to in our effort to ensure sustainable practices that extend our legacy beyond the fences of our vineyard.
The Collection
2019 Arbor Novae Chardonnay
The 2019 Arbor Novae Chardonnay is the rarest wine in the range, a batch of just 900 litres which hardly fills our smallest tanks at the winery. This wine was curated by our former chief winemaker, the legendary Janice McDonald, from a group of four barrels on the Allingham vineyard in Southern Margaret River that harmonised well together. The key to this wine on release is the extended bottle age, at three years from vintage the fruit and oak are melding together in a most exciting way and it will sustain delicious Chardonnay pleasure over the next five years comfortably.
2020 Arbor Novae Pinot Gris
The 2020 Arbor Novae Pinot Gris is another rare gem, taken from a small planting on the Mount Barrow vineyard in Mount Barker. A long ripening period in 2020 has built some complexity into the flavour profile. At pressing some additional contact with the skins brings the faintest pinkish hue to the glass, but also helps to enhance mouthfeel and texture, creating an elegance which complements the interplay between sweet and savoury in this surprising and satisfying wine.
2020 Arbor Novae Grenache Shiraz
The 2020 Arbor Novae Grenache Shiraz is a multi-regional blend in the great tradition of Howard Park. We have been fortunate to access Grenache from a Swan Valley vineyard planted in the 1950s, an old vine treasure well adapted to its climate and producing low yields of grapes with superb concentration of flavour. A small addition in the blend of spicy, elegant Mount Barker Shiraz brings extra fruit weight and savoury smoothness to this eminently drinkable wine.
2021 Arbor Novae Porongurup Riesling
Our final wine in the range, the 2021 Arbor Novae Porongurup Riesling, is from a dress circle vineyard in Great Southern. The Gibraltar Rock vineyard sits in the shadow of the granite monolith it is named for and faces north with views across to the Stirling Ranges. The original Riesling plantings come from 1973, and have endured in typically infertile soil and through recent years of record low rainfall to produce grapes of wonderfully intense character. Nic Bowen employed a typically careful and minimalist approach to winemaking to ensure the essence of Porongurup terroir shines through in this wine which will evolve in the cellar over decades. It’s a privilege to have access to this special fruit for Arbor Novae.
