Church Road Cabernet Sauvignon Cuve Series Hawke's Bay

What a surprise Drinking beautifully Clean ripe dark fruit with complexity and spice Great ! Amazed it lasted given it was a $25 Syrah

Fruit was decadent and there was a touch of structure but the oak was far too prominent for me to enjoy it much. This era was Peak Oak for a lot of Hawkes Bay wine I think, seems they've finally started to dial it back a bit, yay. Not sure how it will age from here, either drink up with oak loving friends and a big steak or keep it and see if the oak will integrate in time.

GMs - Casual Fridays August 2017 : Blackberry, toasty vanilla and blackcurrant. Too much oak really, with the palate feeling dominated by it and the fruit not holding up enough over time. I did think this might be the outcome when I tried it early on but was hoping the oak would subside.

Ripe and savoury. Blackcurrent and spices. Good complexity

Still purple at the edges. Lovely complex nose with some aged characteristics. Rich dark berry fruit. Some oak. Palate- smooth, fine silky tannins, good integration of oak, balanced with long finish. One bottle not enough...

Taste of New Zealand (Sydney, Australia) : Very meaty, with some oak influence and a smidgen of menthol. Palate has gripping tannins. Good length and depth, this is an interesting wine that could go either way with some medium term ageing.

Feminine, cool-climate style, not overdone, dark blueberries, mulberries on the nose. Very sweet floral, almost artificial, but all elements quite well balanced. Palate is dark blue/purple fruit, some spice, black currants, not complex but appropriate weight and mouthfeel finishing with faintly vegetal tones. Reminds of a regional Rhone.