Church Road ‘Grand Reserve’ Chardonnay 2018​

Church road Grand Reserve 2018

This well regarded chardonnay from Hawke’s Bay has won a great many awards over the years, and had a hand in pioneering the ‘modern’ reductive chardonnay style with the distinctive ‘struck match’ nose. This new wine won the Trophy at IWSC 2019 – so it is effectively “The World’s best Chardonnay”. If you don’t know this brand, then be prepared – as it is a huge wine – I’ve known many people say they can love a glass of this, but a bottle is too much….

It has a massive nose of toffee, vanilla, gunsmoke and toast. An initial sweetness (it’s a little bit Califiornian?) with definite caramel and crème brulee; leads into plush fruit flavours of peach and pineapple. A richness is through many layers here; with a generous toasty oak thread, through to a ripple of spice, and a layer of sweet pastry / apple-pie. It has a long finish with a drying and stony salinity. Overall, I’d say this 2018 is better balanced than in recent vintages, and perhaps heading a little back to a wider, softer style (even a little bit ‘old school’?)

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