WINERY NEWS
Church Road marks 120 years Joelle Thomson
I
t’s a big year at Church Road Winery in Taradale, Hawke’s Bay, which celebrates 120 years of continuous winemaking this year. The winery was founded in 1897 by Bartholemew Steinmetz, who later sold it to the late Tom McDonald, whose name appears on the winery’s flagship wine range – Tom. The flagship wines began with one Tom, which was a Cabernet Sauvignon dominant blend, in homage to the late Tom McDonald’s McWilliam’s wines, which were 100% Cabernet Sauvignon,
due to the fact that there was no (known) Merlot growing in the Hawke’s Bay in the mid 20th Century when he was making wine there. There are now three Tom wines and the latest trio were launched with much fanfare at Church Road Winery and Kidnapper Cliffs lodge in May this year. They are the 2014 Tom Merlot Cabernet, 2014 Tom Chardonnay (the only one of the three sealed with a screwcap) and the 2014 Tom Syrah – the jewel in the crown of this range, in my view, thanks to its intense col-
our, concentration, full body, well balanced extract of flavour and its long finish. The new 2014 Tom The flagship ran ge, Tom, Syrah named after To m McDonald. drinks beautifully now but has a long life ahead, for those with At the launch of the Tom good cellaring conditions – and wines this year, Church Road winwillpower. emaker Chris Scott also opened three older wines from the wine’s cellar. These were all branded McWilliam’s and included a 1950s wine (vintage indeterminable), as well as wines from 1967 and 1977. They were branded 1967 McWilliam’s Private Bin Cabernet Sauvignon, 1977 McWilliam’s Cabernet Sauvignon and McDonald’s Cabernet Sauvignon (with no vintage but from a section of the winery’s cellar that was devoted to 1950s bottles). All three of the older wines were recorked 15 years ago, which helps to account for the good condition they were in. Media, Masters of Wine and wine writers were unanimous in their agreement that it was staggering to see these wines expressing their raw material so clearly. The best, for me, was the 1967, which tasted of black olive, green capsicum and rosemary; that dried herb, hot dusty road and black olive character that epitomises great old Cabernets.■ Chris Scott, Church Road winemaker.
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NZ WINEGROWER AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017
mailme@joellethomson.com