TE MATA ESTATE GAMAY NOIR ESTATE VINEYARDS HAWKE'S BAY 2022

Gamay Noir in Hawke's Bay is an outlier — the region's warm, free-draining soils are Bordeaux country, yet Te Mata has been growing Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc at their Woodthorpe Terraces vineyard since 1995. The 2022 undergoes a split fermentation: 60% whole-cluster carbonic maceration in the Beaujolais tradition, 40% conventional, then nine weeks in seasoned French oak. That combination produces a wine with wild strawberry, watermelon, and bubblegum aromatics alongside a soft, creamy palate with clove and anise spice and a bright red-fruit finish.