This is the inaugural release of the Church Road McDonald Series Marzemino. Church Road Winery first planted this variety in 1995 and we have since been working to understand its uniqueness. In Hawke’s Bay the variety produces ripe, medium weight and aromatic red wines with great colour, supple texture and an element of rusticity that works well with food.

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“Possibly the only wine of this variety you will find in New Zealand, Marzemino is rare even in its home country of Italy. Predominantly grown in the Trentino-Alto Adige region of north eastern Italy, the variety there produces deeply coloured, spicy wines. There is mention of this wine in Mozart's opera 'Don Giovanni', where it’s referred to as 'Eccellente Marzemino.'

Chris Scott, Winemaker

The 2009 Growing SeasonThe 2009 growing season was characterised by a very warm dry summer. March was unexpectedly cool, but relatively warm weather returned in April. Overall it was a dry harvest with most fruit picked in excellent condition. The warm weather early on meant good flavour and textural ripeness was achieved at relatively low brix, giving wines with great alcohol balance.

Soil TypeRedstone Vineyard: Shallow silt over alluvial, iron-rich red metals

Clonal/Rootstock SelectionMarzemino on 101-14

Winemaking DetailsThe fruit was crushed to a small open-top oak cuve, inoculated immediately and fermented at around 32°C. The cap was wetted 3 times per day by rummaging gently with air. The wine remained on skins for 12 days total before being drained and filled to French oak barriques for malolactic fermentation and subsequent maturation. The press wine was tasted but declassified.

Oak Regime

The wine remained in French oak barriques for 18 months (35% new, balance 3rd fill). Regular racking with small amounts of aeration have softened the texture and increased colour stability and aromatic complexity. The oak has imparted cedar and savoury notes to the wine, while also increasing palate weight and further enhancing the wines textural attributes.

Aroma and Palate

Deep and dark with purple hues this wine has lifted aromas of port wine, magnolia and spice, with ripe berry fruit overlaid with rustic notes of earth and leather. The palate is fleshy, approachable and softly-textured with a spicy finish. The flavours on the palate echo the aromatics.

Cellaring and Food MatchingThis wine is well matched to a variety of meat and game dishes, especially braised meat dishes such as Osso Bucco or lamb shanks and also works well with richer meat, vegetarian or cheese-based pasta dishes, cured meats, olives and some cheeses.

GROWING SEASON CLIMATE DATA (Sept-Apr)

HAWKE’S BAY 2009 GROWING SEASON

GROWING DEGREE DAYS: 1338ºC

RAINFALL: 280mm

MEAN JANUARY TEMP: 18.4ºC

PRUNING REGIME: 2-Cane VSP

HARVEST DATE: 27 March

MATURITY ANALYSIS AT HARVEST (average)

ºBRIX: 22.5ºBx

TITRATABLE ACIDITY: 6.3g/l (as Tartaric Acid)

pH: 3.40

Christchurch

Hawke’s Bay

Dunedin

Wellington

Auckland

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

WINE ANALYSIS

ALCOHOL: 13.0% v/v

RESIDUAL SUGAR: <1.0g/l

TITRATABLE ACIDITY: 5.4g/l (as Tartaric Acid)

pH: 3.81

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Church Road McDonald Series

The Church Road McDonald Series is a range of premium, complex wines that celebrate the life and legacy of the late Tom McDonald (1907-1987). Tom dramatically elevated the quality of winemaking in Hawke's Bay, and his lifelong dedication to creating fine wines helped establish the superb reputation that the Hawke's Bay region and Church Road Winery enjoys today. Founded in 1897, Church Road Winery continues Tom's legacy crafting wines of depth and character using traditional French winemaking techniques.