The legend of Tom McDonald

Tom was a man and is now a wine, the latter having been named after the former. I never met the man. Hawke’s Bay and Church Road legend Tom McDonald was several years deceased when I started to write about wine.

But I do remember the relish with which my parents tipped McWilliams Bakano and Cresta Dore down their throats during the 1960s.

These wines were the work of McDonald and Denis Kasza, labels that helped steer the country towards the idea of enjoying wine with food.

In those days Church Road also ventured beyond producing vin ordinaire. Tom McDonald’s Cabernet Sauvignon 1949 was an important quality milestone for New Zealand wine, as was the McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon 1965.

I’ve had a number of encounters with Tom the wine over recent years. He’s evolved – in fact, he’s multiplied. There are now three of him. A Tom chardonnay and a Tom syrah have been added to the original bordeaux blend offering.

The release of that first Church Road Tom Cabernet Merlot 1995 nearly 20 years ago was much hyped.

One commentator said Tom McDonald would have loved it. That’s probably right – he was a cabernet guy. Would he have loved the newer iterations, I wonder?

Cabernet is no longer king in Hawke’s Bay.

There are still some splendid versions being made, but you get the feeling from many Bay winemakers that these days it’s chardonnay and syrah that really ring their bells.

Current Church Road custodian is the talented Chris Scott. It was him who extended the Tom range and who has been taking the wines in interesting directions. Tom is Scott’s personal project.

The 2014 Toms were released recently, 120 years after the Church Road winery first opened it doors. The standouts for me were the chardonnay and the syrah.

The Tom Syrah 2014 has that effortless quality that says "this variety and region were made for each other".

The overture of dark berry and bay leaf scents gives way to a concentrated mouthful where ed and dark fruit flavours, and a dash of pepper, are swathed in fine, silky tannins.

It grows and finishes with an overt flourish.

Scott has fearlessly led Tom Chardonnay into what some regard as the dimly-lit world of flinty, struck match characters (aka reduction).

By his own admission he pushed that style to its limits with the 2013 Tom.

The Tom Chardonnay 2014 rebalances the ship. There’s an element of flintiness, but it plays back-up to the gorgeous fruit (see tasting note). I think this is Chris Scott’s best chardonnay yet. Tom (the man) must be somewhere smiling.

Church Road Tom Chardonnay 2014 $150:

Terrific, fine aromatics – nuts, lemon, floral notes.

In the mouth, the fruit has real elegance and the texture is almost delicate.

The fine flinty line is well managed. A beautiful wine.

Pencarrow Pinot Noir 2016 $30:

This new release from Palliser Estate delivers a fruitpacked palate laced with some wild, savoury touches.

You get an excellent sense of what Martinborough pinot is about for a smart price.