Church Road is one of Hawke's Bay's pioneering wineries, and its McDonald Series wines celebrate one of its original owners from the early 1900s, Tom McDonald, and his entrepreneurial spirit. New for Vintage Cellars, Church Road McDonald Series Chardonnay is a finely structured, elegant white with subtle oak influence and great drinkability. An elegant yet multidimensional Chardonnay, with a core of ripe stonefruit and fragrant citrus, overlaid with aromas of roasted nuts, subtle creaminess and a hint of smoky struck flint. The palate is powerful yet fresh and restrained with fine texture, great length and balanced fresh acidity

Church Road is one of Hawke's Bay's pioneering wineries, and its McDonald Series wines celebrate one of its original owners from the early 1900s, Tom McDonald, and his entrepreneurial spirit. New for Vintage Cellars, Church Road McDonald Series Pinot Gris is a hedonistic style with its rich perfume and texture and a seductive natural sweetness balanced by a touch of spice on the finish. Appealing ripe pear, peach, rose petal, ginger and warm spice aromas are evident on the nose, complimented by subtle creamy complexity. On the palate the wine is lush and full bodied with a moderate level of sweetness balanced by gentle acidity and a touch of ginger spice on the finish.

Church Road is one of the oldest wineries in New Zealand. Led by legendary winemaker Tom McDonald, they were one of the first to craft exceptional Bordeaux-style red wine in Hawkes Bay. Today, they still maintain Toms vision of quality and craft in all the wines they make. Church Roads commitment to centuries-old winemaking techniques using French oak wine vats and French oak barriques remains undiminished. The winery is celebrating Tom McDonalds vision and legacy with the Church Road McDonald Series, complex, textural wines that are a fitting tribute to a legend whose influence is still felt today. This is a serious, multidimensional Merlot. The heart of this wine is its dense, brooding plum and dark berry fruit. This is complimented by lifted aromas reminiscent of roses, cedar, sandalwood and warm spice, while the oak delivers underlying dark chocolate and savoury notes. The palate is rich, weighty and long driven by a firm yet fine-grained tannin structure.

Church Road are the custodians of a rich and long history in the northern New Zealand region of Hawke's Bay. Having undergone some serious rejuvenation in recent years, Church Road are producing some simply outstanding wines including this moreish Chardonnay. The perfect balance between that textured 'old school' style and some contemporary elegance and finesse, this white is packed full of great mineral acidity and a superb length of flavour.