Church Road TOM Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2019

A limited stock allocation of an exceptional wine dedicated to Tom McDonald; a pioneering figure who’s commonly referred to as the father of red wine in New Zealand.

TOM is the pinnacle of winemaking at Church Road and only ever released in the very best of vintages (the last release being 2016). As Church Road chief wine winemaker Chris Scott says – “Simply put these are our best wines. No effort is spared.”

TOM is Church Road’s tribute to one of New Zealand’s winemaking legends, Tom McDonald. The very best parcels of fruit from their Tuki Tuki vineyard, hand harvested and hand sorted, a meticulous attention to detail in every aspect of the winemaking process, aged for 18 months in french oak, a complex and finely textured Chardonnay. A legendary wine that’s a fitting tribute for a legendary bloke.

Each bottle is individually numbered and presented in a stunning Church Road TOM gift box. It’s a true collector’s item and if you can tuck it away in the cellar for the long term and resist busting it out to show off to your wine buff mates, you’ll be rewarded.

And this is Hawke’s Bay at its finest. Beautifully textured, with full-bodied character and plenty of complex aromas and flavours.

A core of fruit suggestive of citrus, citrus blossom, white peach, and fresh fig provides the base that carries layers of savoury complexity including toasted hazelnut or cashew, brioche and driftwood smoke.