{"product_id":"church-road-mcdonald-series-syrah-2021","title":"Church Road McDonald Series Syrah 2021","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"The takeaway message is that Church Road knows a thing or two about making high-quality syrah.\"  Huon Hooke\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"For the money, I find the McDonald Series Syrah to be the sweet spot of the range and remarkable value for money.\"  Stephen Wong MW\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChurch Road's McDonald Series was created as a tribute to former 14-year-old worker Tom McDonald, who went on to run and later purchase the winery and is considered the pioneer of modern winemaking in Hawke's Bay. The 2021 McDonald Series Syrah is from the Redstone Vineyard in the Bridge Pa sub-region of Hawke's Bay.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"A lovely wine with a bouquet and palate of raspberries and black currant flesh. The tannins and acidity frame the flavour perfectly with tannins and acidity adding texture and complexity. Balanced and well made with a plush and vibrant texture, core fruit flavours and spice reflect the variety.\"  Cam Douglas MW\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Just a mention of the wine lights a spark in Chief Winemaker Chris Scott's eyes. A spark – and a knowing smile – shared between all of the Church Road winery staff. They’re onto something you see, onto a 'new' variety that represents an exciting new chapter in the 105 year Church Road winery history. The wine is a Syrah, a cool, juicy, spicy Syrah, grown in the old gravel riverbeds that New Zealand's Hawke’s Bay region is known for. What makes this wine, this 'newish' (for New Zealand) grape, so significant is just how much promise it shows.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere in Australia we almost take Syrah (or Shiraz) for granted – it grows like a weed in our warm climes, and has done so for over 170 years.  It is only in the last decade however that this most famous grape has carved a serious reputation in NZ, the plantings growing from just a single row in 1984 to a (still small, but significant) 300 hectares in 2013. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor Chris Scott, Syrah was originally just a dalliance – an experimental wine to keep the winemaking team on their toes. It took a big win (Champion Wine of Show at the 2008 NZ Wine Awards) for just the second ever Church Road Syrah to provoke more than a passing interest! What Syrah now represents is a third string to the Church Road bow – a third wine to compliment the Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon blends that the winery is most famous for.\"  \u003cstrong\u003eAndrew Graham, Australian Wine Review (Feb 2013)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eExpert reviews\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e 95 points - Nick Munday, Canterbury Wines\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\"A blend of Redstone vineyard and Church Pa fruit. Light, fragrant and pretty. Elegance personified. Violets, cassis, black pepper and mixed spices abound in this floral, savoury fine-grained red.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e93 points - Cam Douglas, camdouglasms.com\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\"A lovely wine with a bouquet and palate of raspberries and black currant flesh. The tannins and acidity frame the flavour perfectly with tannins and acidity adding texture and complexity. Balanced and well made with a plush and vibrant texture, core fruit flavours and spice reflect the variety with best best drinking from 2024 through 2029.\"\u003cstrong\u003e  \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e92 points - Stephen Wong MW, The Real Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\"For the money, I find the McDonald Series Syrah to be the sweet spot of the Church Road Syrahs and remarkable value for money. Generously proportioned and oaky but with a more elegant and less intense style than the Grand Reserve, it will be approachable sooner and suit a wider range of dishes than its richer and heavier big brother. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cs-reviewBody\"\u003eDeep-pitched flavours of black olive and spiced blackcurrant are wrapped in creamy vanilla oak. Forward, generous and packed with delicious mid-weight fruit flavours which buffer the grippy, peppery tannins and fresh acidity. The finish is long and expressive, showing good balance and tension for mid-term ageing. Drink: 2025-2031.\u003c\/span\u003e\"  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTom McDonald\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0642\/3098\/1873\/files\/ChurchRoad-TomMcDonald_1024x1024.png?v=1689377414\" alt=\"Tom McDonald Church Road\"\u003e In 1921, Tom McDonald, a 14-year-old school leaver of Scottish extraction, was employed by the winery to wash recycled bottles. Tom was a rather entrepreneurial young man, and by the age of 19, Tom had leased the entire property and ran the business as his own. By the time he was 29, Tom purchased the property outright, before selling a shareholding to raise capital for expansion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot only did Tom have a head for business, but he also developed a passion for the great wines of France. At a time when the New Zealand industry was largely entrenched in cheap fortified wine production, Tom initiated the first commercial plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay in Hawke's Bay. He released the country's first commercial Cabernet Sauvignon in 1949. Quality steadily increased and by the 1960s New Zealand's wine connoisseurs snapped up McDonald's wines year after year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTom McDonald retired in 1976 after a 50 year reign at Church Road. During his hugely transformational tenure at the helm, he not only revolutionized winemaking practices but \u003cspan\u003ealso became a celebrated wine show judge, rising to become Chief Judge for the NZ Wine Show. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe subsequently passed away in 1987, leaving behind a legacy of quality winemaking. He is regarded as one of the founding fathers of the New Zealand wine industry and is considered the pioneer of modern winemaking in Hawke's Bay. His contribution was recognised in 1974 when he was awarded the prestigious Order of the British Empire. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the winery\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Church road winery\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0642\/3098\/1873\/files\/ChurchRoad2_1024x1024.png?v=1689331752\"\u003eThe Church Road winery was established in 1897 by Bartholomew Steinmetz, a Luxembourg émigré who had come to New Zealand to make wine for the Marist Brothers Catholic Mission. Steinmetz returned to his native Luxembourg in the 1920s, leaving his winery in the hands of the 19-year-old Tom McDonald, who had been working for him since his early teens.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTom was a rather entrepreneurial young man. He leased the entire property and ran the business as his own. By the time he was 29, Tom had purchased the property outright, before selling a shareholding to raise capital for expansion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTom McDonald pioneered the creation of the Hawke's Bay wine industry and his lifelong dedication to crafting fine wines helped establish the region's international reputation as a high quality wine region.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTom McDonald retired in 1976 and the winery carried on winemaking up until 1981 when a change of ownership saw the winery slowly shut down.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Church Road Winery was renovated and reopened in 1989 with the express purpose to re-establishing it at the heart of quality red winemaking in New Zealand. The 1990 vintage saw their first release of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChris Scott, four-time Winestate New Zealand Winemaker of the Year, was appointed Chief Winemaker in 2005 and under his guidance the winery has gone from strength to strength. He and his team draw upon an exceptional array of varietals sourced from some of Hawkes Bay’s top vineyard sites.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2005 the winery was acquired and further developed by Montana Wines (now Pernod Ricard NZ).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"I have the utmost respect for the winemaking and viticultural skills of Chris and his team. They have the remarkable ability to produce exceptional wines in challenging vintages and truly stellar wines in favourable years such as 2020 and 2021.\"  Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Church Road Winery and Hawke's Bay sub-regions\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0642\/3098\/1873\/files\/hawke_sbaysub-regionsChurchRoad_600x600.jpg?v=1699447819\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #808080;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChurch Road Winery and Hawke's Bay sub-regions \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Canterbury Wines","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50493794517233,"sku":null,"price":39.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0642\/3098\/1873\/products\/church-road-mcdonald-series-syrah-2017.jpg?v=1695880939","url":"https:\/\/canterburywines.au\/products\/church-road-mcdonald-series-syrah-2021","provider":"Canterbury Wines","version":"1.0","type":"link"}