Hawke’s Bay’s Church Road has released two wines this month, the Tom Cabernet Merlot 2009 and the Tom Chardonnay 2010.
Tom—officially all in caps—are Church Road’s premium offering, named after the patriarch of the winery, Tom McDonald (1907–87).
The two wines contain the best of the region’s fruit and the wine-making has been influenced by the traditions of Bordeaux and Bourgogne.
New Zealand reds have come up dramatically this century, delivering the sort of complexity usually found in old-world wines. The Tom Cabernet Merlot 2009 is a perfect example.
According to Church Road, it has ‘a core of dark berry fruit and complexities of earth and roasted cocoa bean, lifted by violet and spice aromas typical of Gimblett Gravels Merlot, and the fragrant cedar and sandalwood aromas of Cabernet Sauvignon.’
Church Road winemaker Chris Scott says, ‘Our philosophy is to apply low intervention, traditional winemaking techniques to overlay elements of aromatic complexity and textural interest to outstanding Hawke’s Bay fruit. The result is wines with more depth, character and all-round interest.’
Scott says the wine is the best Tom ever released, thanks to the warm, dry weather and heat in February 2009.
The Tom Chardonnay 2010 was made using the wild fermentation of unclarified juice and malolactic fermentations in fine French oak barrels, and has equally been blessed with the growing conditions in the region.
‘Twenty ten was one of the best chardonnay vintages we’ve seen in Hawke’s Bay with stunning autumn growing conditions providing highly fragrant fruit with intense flavour and balanced natural acidity,’ says Scott.
The Tom Cabernet Merlot 2009 retails for NZ$150, and the Tom Chardonnay 2010 for NZ$100. They are available from the Church Road cellar door and from fine wine retailers and selected on-premise outlets beginning this month.
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