Church Road releases a duo of iconic TOM wines

19 June 2013

Church Road releases a duo of iconic TOM wines

2009 TOM Cabernet Merlot likely the “best TOM ever”
2010 TOM Chardonnay from “one of the very best Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay vintages”

Church Road, the winery that helped establish Hawke’s Bay as a premier winemaking region is proud to announce the simultaneous release of its two iconic wines - TOM Cabernet Merlot 2009 and TOM Chardonnay 2010.

Crafted only in outstanding vintages, TOM showcases the power and vibrancy of the best hand-harvested parcels of fruit, coupled with the traditional Bordeaux and Burgundian influence of winemaking.

“Our philosophy is to apply low intervention, traditional winemaking techniques to overlay elements of aromatic complexity and textural interest to outstanding Hawke’s Bay fruit. The result is wines with more depth, character and all round interest,” says Church Road winemaker Chris Scott.

This is the first time that both the TOM Cabernet Merlot and TOM Chardonnay have been released simultaneously. As with previous releases of Church Road TOM, all bottles are individually numbered and hand-finished.

The Church Road TOM Cabernet Merlot 2009 has a core of dark berry fruit and complexities of earth and roasted cocoa bean, lifted by violet and spice aromas typical of Gimblett Gravels Merlot, and the fragrant cedar and sandalwood aromas of Cabernet Sauvignon. On the palate, the wine is powerful and long with firm, fine-grained tannins providing excellent structure and balance.

Chris says “We are delighted with the quality of the TOM Cabernet Merlot 2009 which we believe is the best TOM we’ve ever released. The 2009 Hawke’s Bay vintage provided excellent growing conditions with warm, dry weather and heat in February that gave optimum ripeness and flavour development.”

Church Road TOM Chardonnay 2010 is a finely textured yet full-bodied wine of exceptional character and complexity. A very natural, low-intervention approach to winemaking including wild fermentation of unclarified juice and subsequent wild malolactic fermentations in a selection of fine French oak barrels has resulted in overlaid complex aromas and flavours.

“2010 was one of the best Chardonnay vintages we’ve seen in Hawke’s Bay with stunning Autumn growing conditions providing highly fragrant fruit with intense flavour and balanced natural acidity,” says Chris.

TOM wines are named after Tom McDonald (1907 – 1987), a great pioneer of New Zealand winemaking and the patriarch of the Church Road winery for over 50 years. His dedication to creating fine wine saw him forge both a remarkable legacy and an enviable future for the Hawke’s Bay region and Church Road wines today.

Church Road’s TOM Cabernet Merlot 2009 (RRP $150.00) and TOM Chardonnay 2010 (RRP $100.00) are now available from the Church Road cellar door and from fine wine retailers and selected on-premise outlets from July 2013.

About Church Road
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. These techniques have been evolved by working throughout the 1990s with winemakers from Domaines Cordier, a respected French winery of its day.

In a New Zealand first, French oak Cuves used to ferment premium wines, were installed in Church Road Winery in 1995. Church Road Winery is one of the oldest wineries in New Zealand, founded in 1897 on the same site it stands on today. Church Road is committed to sustainable practices and is accredited under the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) scheme.

Please enjoy Church Road wines responsibly. www.churchroad.co.nz

CHURCH ROAD is a trademark of Pernod Ricard New Zealand Limited.

ENDS

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