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Buy OnlineThis iconic, full-bodied red wine is from an exceptional Hawke's Bay vintage and represents the best that the region can produce. Crafted from grapes harvested from low-yielding vineyards in the Gimblett Gravels and Bridge Pa, this wine was made using Bordeaux-style winemaking techniques to emphasise complexity of flavour and aroma, power and elegance on the palate, with a structure that gives the wine great ageing potential.
Winery notes (2020 Vintage)
"Dedicated to Tom McDonald, Patriarch of Church Road and pioneer of Hawkes Bay Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Tom is only made in exceptional vintages. Simply put, these are our best wines. No effort is spared. They represent the culmination of the collective experience and understanding of our team past and present, applied to some of the best parcels of winegrowing land in Hawke’s Bay.
A complex, dense wine with a core of dark berry fruit and plum, lifted by top notes of rosewood, cedar, lavender and vanilla. Beneath this a savoury dark earthy complexity and a thread of graphite and iron brings a more serious, brooding undertone to the wine. On the palate the wine is full bodied yet focused, with the fruit weight balanced by gentle acidity and a long, firm tannin structure. A wine of restrained power and great depth which will reward long term cellaring until 2030 – 2045."
5 Stars Michael Cooper (2020 Vintage)
"Pernod Ricard NZ's famous Hawke's Bay red honours pioneer winemaker Tom McDonald, a driving force behind New Zealand's first prestige red, McWilliam's Cabernet Sauvignon (first vintage 1965). The early releases of Tom in the mid-1990s were Cabernet Sauvignon-predominant, but from 1998 onwards, Merlot emerged as a very important part of the recipe. Typically a wine of great finesse, it is savoury, complex and more akin to a quality Bordeaux than other New World reds. The very generous 2020 vintage is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (69 per cent) and Merlot (31 per cent), estate-grown in the Bridge Pa Triangle and the Gimblett Gravels. Matured for 18 months in French oak barriques (73 per cent new), it is deeply coloured and weighty. Already expressive, it is fleshy, with rich, notably ripe blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, seasoned with nutty oak, and supple tannins. Best drinking 2027+."
5 Stars & 99/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, September 2023 (2020 Vintage)
"A profound expression, the bouquet is mesmerising and captivating with cassis, potpourri, cedary oak and toasted spice aromas with a hint of tobacco nuance. The powerfully concentrated palate displays sumptuous mouthfeel and graceful presence, wonderfully structured by seamlessly woven chalky tannins. Symphonic and sublime. A blend of Redstone Vineyard (Bridge Pa Triable) & Gimblett Vineyard. At its best: 2026 to 2045."
Rated Outstanding & 97/100 Cameron Douglas MS, August 2023 (2020 Vintage)
"There’s no mistaking the complexity and completeness in the bouquet with purple flower and dark berry fruits, fresh and roasted Doris plums, blackberry then earth. Other aromas from baking spice to cacao from French oak add complexity and power. Taut, bold, firm, rich in flavours, textured and dry all touch the palate at once. Core fruits flavours of purple skinned fruits return, tannins are very firm, polished and in abundance needing cellar time to settle and integrate. Acidity keeps the wine lively and fresh, is also in abundance and will hold this wine in place for many years. Lengthy, complex and well made, a wine of provenance. Cellar please with best drinking likely from 2030 through 2050."
95/100 David Walker Bell, WineFolio.co.nz, September 2023 (2020 Vintage)
"A 70/30 blend, from both the Redstone and Gimblett Vineyards in Hawke’s Bay. The nose is heady and sweet, with vanilla, lavender, graphite, and a peaty earthiness over that textbook black and red fruit. It has great weight to the palate and a brooding reticence at this stage. Power and depth is matched by a tightness through the palate, but a layer of ripe sweetness is clustered at the core, and is quietly persuasive. Lots of ying and yang in this youngster – acidity is precise and flowing, where the tannin is firm and grippy. A nice contrast of pepper and bitter chocolate to the long finish. I expect this to come together more in time, but there’s plenty to see in here already."
