Top-quality wines don’t need to come with a hefty price tag. Photo / Getty Images
Top-quality wines don’t need to come with a hefty price tag. Photo / Getty Images
Lying at the foot of the Taradale hills in Hawke’s Bay, Church Road has since 1990 crafted a host of classy, often great-value, wines. Money helps – the winery is owned by Paris-based Pernod Ricard, one of the world’s largest wine and spirits producers. So does experience – chief winemakerChris Scott has worked there since 1998.
Church Road’s wines are marketed in five tiers. The standard range sells in the $15-$20 category. Then comes the McDonald Series ($23-$32); Grand Reserve ($35-$45); No 1 Single Vineyard ($100-$125); and the pinnacle Tom range ($150-$240).
I recently tasted the wines you are mostly likely to find in retail stores – the standard range and McDonald Series – including one of the top-value red wines on the market.
Church Road Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2023
★★★½
This popular, good-value wine is described by Chris Scott as “unashamedly just a little bit old school” – meaning subtle and harmonious rather than obviously fruity and oaky. Full-bodied, fresh and youthful, it has very good depth of peachy, citrusy, slightly biscuity flavours, and is crisp, dry and lively. Best drinking mid-2025+. (13% alc/vol) $17-$20
Church Road McDonald Series Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
This barrel-aged red was estate-grown in the Bridge Pā Triangle. Dark and youthful in colour, it is mouthfilling, with rich, vibrant blackcurrant and red berry flavours seasoned with nutty oak, and ripe, smooth tannins. Still unfolding, it’s well worth cellaring to 2027+. (14% alc/vol) $26-$29
Church Road McDonald Series Barrel Fermented Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2021
★★★★½
This distinctive, ageworthy wine was made with the use of “native” (indigenous) yeasts, barrel fermentation and oak ageing. Full-bodied, it has strong, ripe passionfruit and lime flavours, savoury notes adding complexity, and an appetisingly crisp, dry finish. Still unfolding, it should be at its best 2025+. (13.5% alc/vol) $23-$25
Church Road Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2023
★★★½
Offering easy drinking, this is a pink/orange, merlot-based rosé. Medium-bodied, with a hint of sweetness and good depth of fresh peach, watermelon and spice flavours, it’s ready to roll. (12% alc/vol) $16-$20
Wine of the week
Church Road Hawke’s Bay Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
This delicious, savoury, claret-style red offers impressive quality and terrific value. Estate-grown in the Bridge Pā Triangle and barrel-aged for a year, it is deeply coloured, fragrant and full-bodied. It has generous blackcurrant, red berry and spice flavours with a hint of dark chocolate, and excellent ripeness and complexity. At under $20, it’s a “steal”. (14% alc/vol) $16-$20
