A combination of grapes from the Tuki Tuki vineyard and the Terraces vineyard – the top tier of Church Road’s enviable Chardonnay stable. A pale golden straw in the glass, scented with a flinty struck-match smokiness, lemon curd, baked apple, cashew, grapefruit, nectarine, tarragon and crushed cardamom. A big, brooding wine with swagger, muscle and energy, but a youthful tightness that keeps its voluptuousness in check. Generous, textural and quite complex. One for the some fine food – not your 5 o’clock chips and dips. One note would be the oak – that sticks out a bit just now – but should integrate in the bottle if you can leave it a year or two – and this has evident cellaring potential. The finish is profound – with a chalky, minerality and a drying, seamless length. 95pts
Church Road ‘TOM’ Chardonnay 2021
