Pioneers of Hawke's Bay

The Dolbel family has a proud history in Hawke's Bay.

Richard Dolbel came to New Zealand from the island of Jersey in 1855. Ten years later, he bought land in Hawke's Bay, on the banks of the Tutaekuri River. After five generations, this land is still owned by his descendants.

The Dolbel family's involvement in the community is still recognized today through Dolbel Street and the Dolbel Reserve in Taradale.

Diversifying from farming, the family planted their first vineyard in 1988, on the lower river-flats of the original station. Grapes grown here were sold to be used in wines such as Church Road, Craggy Range and Oyster Bay.

In 1994 we started making our own wine, producing small quantities for family enjoyment. This gave us an insight into the characteristics of wine sourced from particular areas of the vineyard and proved that we could produce wine of a consistently high quality.

To make sure our wines were truly worthy of the Dolbel family legacy, we enlisted one of the most respected winemakers in Hawke's Bay - Tony Prichard. In his previous capacity as winemaker at Church Road, Tony had used grapes grown on our estate to craft fine wines.

Late in 2006, the first Dolbel Estate wines were released for sale.

Contract Growing

Grapes grown on the Dolbel Estate vineyard have now been producing top Hawke's Bay wines for over two decades.

Dolbel Estate vineyard was originally established to supply grapes to Church Road, who helped to develop the vineyard in the late 1980s. Over the years, we've also become regular suppliers to some of the other top winemakers in Hawke's Bay, including Craggy Range and Oyster Bay.

Industry insiders know that this vineyard with its variable soils of sandy river silts produces some of the region's best white wines. A corner of the vineyard, on shingle soils, is capable of producing very distinctive reds as well.

Vine Propagation

The vine propagation unit has given Dolbel Estate ongoing access to the best rootstocks and clonal material available.

Dolbel Estate has been growing rootstock for other vine propagation centres since 1994. Six years later, we started grafting our own vines. From this, Dolbel Estate Grapevines developed into a commercial enterprise in 2002, supplying robust and high-quality grapevines to the wine industry. In the first three years alone, we grafted some 300,000 plants each year.

Dolbel Estate Grapevines use all four of the rootstocks proven in New Zealand conditions - 3309, 101-14, Schwarzman, Riparia Gloire. We have grafted a full range of varieties grown in New Zealand, achieving particular success with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir.

Dolbel Estate station

A large section of Dolbel Estate is still run in its original role as a cattle and sheep station. Over the last ten years, the land has been upgraded significantly, with new subdivision fencing and water supplies, as well as a concerted effort to improve pasture. The economic use of the land was also expanded to include forestry, with plantings of pines and other exotic varieties.

While Dolbel Estate Station is run as a separate concern, the property does provide a charming rustic environment for the vineyard.