Church Road Tom Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon

Notes - Dating from 1897, when Bartholomew Steinmetz planted his vineyard next to Church Road, Church Road is one of the oldest wineries in the country. Steinmetz returned to his native Luxembourg in the 1920s, leaving his winery in the hands of the 19-year-old Tom McDonald, who had been working for him since his early teens. McDonald later bought the winery and set to making the first quality red wines in New Zealand, releasing the country's first commercial Cabernet Sauvignon in 1949. Tom McDonald retired in 1976 and the winery carried on winemaking up until 1981 when a change of ownership saw the winery slowly shut down. The Church Road Winery was renovated and reopened in 1989 with the express purpose to re-establishing it as the heart of quality red winemaking in New Zealand. The name is inspired by Tom McDonald, who in the 1940s to 1960s laid the groundwork for quality New Zealand red wine at the Church Road Winery. Tom represents the pinnacle Church Road's winemaking. It is a Bordeaux-style wine that is only produced in outstanding vintages. The 200 Tom (a Merot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec blend) is a full-bodied red wine from an exceptional Hawke's Bay vintage and represents the best that the region can produce. Crafted from grapes harvested from low-yielding vineyards, this wine was made using Bordeaux-style winemaking techniques to emphasise complexity, tannin structure and soft acidity. Aged 18 months in new French barrels, it will develop gracefully with time in the bottle. It is a deep and rich garnet colour. On the nose there are complex harmonies of berry fruits, forest floor and cedary French oak nuances. The palate has superb elegance, long, rich and intense. An exceptionally textural wine. It will reward patient, careful cellaring for up to ten years.
 
   

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