Church Road TOM Chardonnay 2020

A finely textured, yet full-bodied wine of exceptional character and complexity. Hand harvested and hand sorted from extremely low yielding blocks on our Tuki Tuki and Omarunui vineyards, this wine is built around a core of fragrant fruit. A very natural, low intervention approach to winemaking including wild fermentation of unclarified juice and subsequent wild malolactic fermentations in a selection of our finest French oak barrels has overlaid complexing aromas and flavours.

5 Stars, Michael Cooper's Buyer's Guide "This is the pinnacle of Church Road's Hawke's Bay Chardonnays – as its price conveys. The classy 2020 vintage (5*), grown entirely in the Tuki Tuki Valley, is the second to include fruit (59 per cent of the blend) from the company's Terraces Vineyard, sited further inland than its Tuki Tuki Vineyard (41 per cent). Hand-picked, it was fermented and matured for 11 months on its full yeast lees in French oak barriques (19 per cent new). Bright, light yellow/green, it is highly fragrant, weighty and deep, with vibrant, concentrated citrus and stone-fruit flavours, gently seasoned with oak, balanced acidity, and notable delicacy, complexity and structure. A wine of great finesse, it should flourish for a decade."

96 Points, Outstanding, Cam Douglas MS "After a few minutes in glass to allow the wine to relax the aromas and perfumes begin to unfurl revealing a wine of concentration and complexity. Scents of ripe citrus and fresh California peach, quince and vanilla, yoghurt, apple and barrel spice. There’s a lees, mineral and gun-flint combination that emerges layering in complexity and detail. The core of fruit remains central to the bouquet. On the palate - very youthful with plenty of energy, warm and generous with a coarse-silk texture contrasted by palate weight, stone and citrus fruit flavours from peach to tangerine, grapefruit and baked apple, reflecting the bouquet with a noticeable acid line and fine tannin mouthfeel. There’s no mistaking the oak layer, but this is judiciously used and will soften into the wine as it ages and develops. A delicious wine reflecting an excellent vintage. Best drinking from late 2022 through 2030."

Ripe stone fruit and vibrant citrus aromas are overlaid with subtle oak toast and complexities of hazelnut and brioche on a long and finely textured palate.

14% abv. Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.

Tom McDonald was a passionate winemaker and one of the earliest pioneers of quality winemaking in New Zealand. Produced only in outstanding vintages, TOM wines are of the most exceptional character and quality. Wearing the TOM label is our tribute to one of New Zealand's great winemaking legends.

Church Road embraces Old World winemaking with one arm and technological advancements with the other. And it all begins with fruit grown in Hawke's Bay. Church Road Winery, renowned for being the first in New Zealand to craft exceptional quality Bordeaux style red wine, pioneered the creation of the Hawke’s Bay wine industry. Church Road wines are crafted using the most exceptional quality fruit from vineyards across Hawke’s Bay, together with traditional winemaking techniques to create highly acclaimed award-winning wines.