Church Road Grand Reserve Chardonnay

Formerly known as Church Road’s Reserve range they’ve given the wines a slick, stealth like black label and slapped the word “Grand” in the name, now known as Church Road Grand Reserve Chardonnay. It sits above the Church Road McDonald Series and below their iconic (and expensive!) Church Road TOM Chardonnay.

So that’s the marketing job done, what about the wine? Are they actually Grand? Are they what! These are sheer world class wines, up there with the best you’ll find in Hawke’s Bay. That’s why you’ll only find Church Road wines under this label released in exceptional vintage. Made from low-cropping vineyard blocks (to ensure more concentrated, ripe flavours), hand-harvested and produced using small batch, traditional techniques. Entirely hand harvested, whole bunch pressed with wild yeast and left to age for 11 months in French oak.

This 2018 release could be one of the best yet. With an unbelievable SEVEN (yes, 7!) Trophies and SEVEN (yes, 7!) Gold medals and a 95/100 review from Master of Wine Bob Campbell,  this is a Chardonnay not to be missed….

Trophy Champion Chardonnay – Int’l Wine & Spirit Competition London (2019)
Trophy Champion Wine of Show – Hawke’s Bay Wine Awards (2019)
Trophy Champion Export Wine – Hawke’s Bay Wine Awards (2019)
Trophy Champion Chardonnay – Hawke’s Bay Wine Awards (2019)
Trophy Champion Commercial White – Hawke’s Bay Wine Awards (2019)
Trophy Champion Chardonnay – Six Nations Wine Challenge (2019)
Trophy Champion White Wine of Show – Six Nations Wine Challenge (2019)
Gold medal – Royal Easter Wine Show (2020)
Gold medal – Hawke’s Bay Wine Awards (2019)
Gold medal – Int’l Wine & Spirit Competition London (2019)
Gold medal – NZ Int’l Wine Show (2019)
Gold medal – NZ Wine of the Year Awards (2019)
Gold medal – Six Nations Wine Challenge (2019)
Gold medal – International Wine Challenge (2019)
95/100 Bob Campbell MW – “Creamy, smooth-textured chardonnay”

A powerful, full-bodied Chardonnay that will make a stunning food match to seafood or white meats in a creamy sauce. Sure to improve over the next five or six years too.