Awards & Reviews

Peter Saunders, F & B Behind Bars, Best of the Best Wines 2008

“A classy wine in the unoaked status, abundant in fruit, bold even, and a real illustration of what chardonnay is without clutter. A wine with magic and finesse.”

Vic Williams, Wine NZ

“This nicely balanced example of an underrated wine style has a savoury, spicy bouquet leading to a clean, fresh flavour pofile with delightfully clean-cut acids. The direct, approachable flavours make this little beauty a good match for chicken thigh strips.”

Bob Campbell, bobswinereviews.com

“85/100 Concentrated tree fruit flavours showing good purity with subtly succulent nectarine and guava. Stylish wine with an ethereal texture, good balance and impressive flavour length.”

Bob Campbell, bobswinereviews.com

“90/100 Rich and complex, with intense ripe tree fruit, yeast lees and spicy oak flavours. The wine has a great texture – it reminds me of a Pouilly Fume. Serious food wine. Very attractive indeed.”

John Hawkesby, Canvas Magazine, NZ Herald

“Fermented in old oak barrels producing a Graves-style character. Powerful, concentrated and different. Sauvignon for those over sauvignon.”

Peter Shaw, Tempo Magazine, Waikato Times

“This wine is a little puzzling as the aromas and flavours are not those we are used to from Marlborough. The wine was barrel fermented and part was allowed to ferment with wild yeasts. These two factors give the wine a distinctly different nose and palate. It is yeasty, oaky and the finish is crisp.”

Bob Campbell, bobswinereviews.com

“85/100 Fleshy, flavoursome wine with appealing peach and melon characters. Good to see an unoaked Chardonnay that’s dry, reasonably intense with lovely fruit purity. Very attractive.”

John Hawkesby, Canvas Magazine, NZ Herald

“Unbelievable value for money. Ripe bouquet, fruit characters with good dash of minerality. Crisp and clean.”

Air New Zealand Wine Awards

“Silver Medal. Air New Zealand Wine Awards”

Cuisine Magazine, May 2009

“The experience of Tony Prichard (former long-serving chief winemaker at Church Road) comes through in this accomplished symphony of ripe fruit and rich oak complexity. Put it to work with a smoked fish pie.”

Winestate Magazine, July 2009

“Elegant, savoury blend of merlot (70%) and cabernet sauvignon (30%). Dark, with a highly fragrant, spicy, nutty bouquet, rich blackcurrant, herb and plum flavours azdn fine-grained tannins. Excellent texture, complexity and length.”

Cuisine Magazine, May 2010

Air New Zealand Wine Awards

“Silver Medal. Air New Zealand Wine Awards”