Community Tasting Notes 8

• HowardNZ Likes this wine: 89 points

  September 2, 2022 - Another bottle from refrigerated storage (since release). Drinking as in my earlier 2022 tasting note. Under cork. At late middle age drinking well - without undue green notes - with some savoury, earthy development. Enjoyable, and sound enough, but lacking the detail and nuance for a higher score (89 - 90). It won't - I would think - improve from here drinking in this style to 2028+.

  Comment

• HowardNZ Likes this wine: 89 points

  April 20, 2022 - Three years on from my last tasting note about this wine, reading it now, this wine has improved a little, showing less vanillin, creamy oak and milk chocolate. There is also a touch of secondary development, which adds some interest. Under a good quality cork, in good shape. Drunk over two evenings from a Zalto Bordeaux glass. The wine did not change over the two evenings. A bouquet of dark plums, black currants, cigar box and touches of freshly cut herbs. In the mouth, ripe, lush and full, with lower acids. Silky tannins, satiny texture. Black plums, blackberries, dark chocolate, red liquorice and traces of crème de cassis. No alcohol burn at 14.5% ABV. As I say, now a little secondary development but, overall, too straightforward, unnuanced, primary and fruit forward for a higher score. Drink by say 2027. I doubt it will significantly improve (further) from here.

  1 person found this helpful Comment

• HowardNZ Likes this wine: 88 points

  November 4, 2019 - Brief note of a bottle drunk over three evenings, during which it barely changed. Plummy and sweet-seeming ripe with a little vanillin, creamy oak and milk chocolate. The oak tannins now pretty well integrated. The tannins ripe and smooth, the acids low. No discernible green notes but, under cork, very little secondary development. At 10 years, mature but not detailed or interesting. A little homogenous and linear. No hurry to drink this wine but I doubt it'll improve appreciably from here.

  1 person found this helpful Comment

• JohnSh wrote: 88 points

  March 20, 2016 - This bottle confirms my impression of this producer. They tend to make rather plush, ripe, low acid, non-tannic red wines that show well in competitions but don't really gain a lot with age. I thought this wine had too much residual sugar as well, though this improved (and tannins appeared) on the second night when I served it closer to cellar temperature. Certainly not a bad bottle, and good QPR at the sale price I paid - a good table wine, but nothing more (B+).

  Comment

• chatters wrote:

  December 4, 2012 - A clear deep ruby wine with some tears. A clean medium intensity developing wine with aromas of blackcurrant, cream, biscuit, vanilla and very slight herbaceous notes. In the mouth the wine is dry with medium acid, medium fine tannin, medium plus warming alcohol, medium body, medium flavour intensity with flavours of savoury black currant, liquorice and biscuit. The alcohol heat intrudes on the medium plus finish.

  Comment

Pro Reviews 0

• No pro reviews found.

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2009
• Type Red
• Producer Church Road
• Varietal Red Bordeaux Blend
• Designation Cabernet Merlot Reserve
• Vineyard n/a
• Country New Zealand
• Region North Island
• SubRegion Hawke's Bay
• Appellation Hawke's Bay

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 27 (48%)
• Consumed 29 (52%)

Food Pairing

Who Likes This Wine

More About This Wine