Chris Scott wins Winemaker of the Year for the fourth time, while Church Road Grand Reserve Chardonnay 2019 wins Wine of the Year
Hawke’s Bay winery, Church Road has scooped the pool at the annual Winestate Wine of the Year Awards announced today with Chief Winemaker, Chris Scott, crowned NZ Winemaker of the Year for an unprecedented fourth time.
Church Road Grand Reserve Chardonnay 2019 picked up both Wine of the Year and Chardonnay of the Year, with the Church Road Grand Reserve Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 winning Merlot of the Year.
Church Road Grand Reserve wines are produced from the very best vineyards across Hawke’s Bay and for the first time in 2021, Pinot Noir from Central Otago. Often referred to as ‘little TOM’, a nod to the finest collection of Church Road wines, the hand-selected parcels of fruit, from the best low-cropping vineyard blocks, are targeted for selective harvesting to yield wines with the greatest possible flavour, depth, and concentration. The range represents the excellence of New Zealand wine, reflecting the exceptional terroir, considered viticulture and masterful winemaking.
Winemaker of the Year now four times over (2013, 2016, 2020, 2021), which has never been achieved before, Scott represents a culmination of 125 years of heritage, tradition and craftsmanship to create a natural expression of Hawke’s Bay’s most prized grapes and vineyards under the Grand Reserve Label.
Pernod Ricard Winemakers NZ, who own Church Road, also won NZ Wine Company of the Year.
Scott said: “Winning Winemaker of the Year is a real privilege, and to win it four times is just incredible. It’s such a great testament to the efforts of the entire team here. They’re a great bunch of incredibly talented people and it is through everyone’s dedication and skill that we achieve the results that we do. It is also testament to the wonderful region we call home and we’re incredibly proud that we can do our bit to help demonstrate Hawke’s Bay’s ability to produce wines that are amongst the finest in the world.”
The Grand Reserve Chardonnay 2019 is primarily sourced from the gentle but elevated slopes of Tuki Tuki Vineyard in the Tuki Tuki Valley and Terraces Vineyard sheltered from the south by Te Mata Peak. The Grand Reserve Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 is primarily sourced from the Gimblett Vineyard, that typically produces darkly fruited structural wines that respond well to cellaring.
Church Road is committed to maintaining its reputation for crafting wines using the most exceptional quality fruit from vineyards across Hawke’s Bay.
Church Road is available in leading retail, grocery, on-premise and churchroad.com. The Church Road Grand Reserve wines also launched into China for the first time just last month.