• French oak
• Red & black fruit
• Florals & spice
• Gentle finish

"A lovely wine full of varietal fruit flavours of cherries and red apple skin, raspberry and layers of fine savoury dried herb nuances. Fine tannins and decent level of acidity ensure a finesse to the mouthfeel and core varietal flavours. There’s a whisper of smoke alongside the wood flavours of vanilla and sweetness. Well made, balanced and ready to drink from 2024 through 2028" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, July 2024

Beautifully fragrant, this wine is built around a core of bright red and black fruit, overlaid with beautiful floral, spice and fresh thyme notes, with subtle oak in support. On the palate the wine is lithe, fresh and juicy with a gentle finish. An elegant yet energetic Pinot Noir.

The pursuit of a great Pinot Noir to add to the Church Road stables has taken us outside of our Hawke’s Bay home to the beautiful region of Central Otago. Here, a combination of exceptional soils, cool nights, warm days and low rainfall make for one of the greatest Pinot Noir regions in the world.

Warmer and drier than average, 2021 was an exceptional vintage for Central Otago, producing wines with textural ripeness while retaining very good fragrance and structure. The 2021 McDonald Series was sourced from three vineyards in Bannockburn (68%), Gibbston Valley (30%) and Lowburn (2%)  The vines were all pruned to two cane VSP and the crop load was typically light, with small berried, compact bunches. The fruit was hand harvested and transported overnight to our winery in Hawke’s Bay.

18% fermented separately as whole bunches, this was lightly foot stomped to liberate some juice to allow a wild fermentation to ensue. The balance was destemmed and wild fermented. The whole bunch component brings a floral and spice component to the berry fruit / cherry notes of the destemmed fruit, along with a more linear palate profile, bringing length and definition. After a short post ferment maceration, the fruit was drained and pressed and filled to French oak (22% new) for malolactic fermentation and 12 months maturation on lees. The wine was bottled unfined and only coarsely filtered.