Te Mata Estate - Awatea Hawke's Bay 2018 (750ml)

Continue Shopping Add to Wish List

Price: $49.99

Qty:   Add to Cart

Quantity in Stock: 24

* Not eligible for case discounts

Producer	Te Mata Estate
Country	New Zealand
Region	Hawke's Bay
Varietal	Cabernet Sauvignon,  Merlot,  Cabernet Franc
Vintage	2018
Sku	37936
Size	750ml

  

JR

17

JS

93

V

92

For over 125 years, Te Mata Estate has been crafting world-class wines from its Hawke's Bay vineyards. Located on New Zealand's North Island, Hawke's Bay boasts diverse terrain and a maritime climate, ideal for nurturing exceptional grapes. Te Mata Estate meticulously cultivates its vines across four sub-regions, each contributing unique characteristics to the final wines. This dedication to quality and meticulous viticulture has positioned Te Mata Estate as a leader in New Zealand winemaking.

Te Mata Estate's Awatea 2018 is a classic Hawke's Bay Cabernet/Merlot blend, named after the historic ship SS Awatea. Hand-harvested from the Havelock Hills and Gimblett Gravels sub-regions between March 25 and April 20, 2018, the grapes underwent a traditional warm, plunged fermentation and extended maceration on skins. The wine was aged in new and seasoned French oak barrels for 16 months, blended in January 2019, and returned to barrel for a second winter before bottling in October 2019. The final blend consists of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and 15% Cabernet Franc. Awatea 2018 offers a deep, ruby-red color and a fragrant bouquet of ripe blackberry, plum, and cassis, with underlying floral notes of lavender and thyme. The palate is rich and supple, with refined tannins and a lingering finish. This elegant wine is a true expression of the Hawke's Bay terroir and showcases the skillful winemaking of Te Mata Estate.

There’s a very attractive, cedary edge to this with red cherries, redcurrants and blueberries, as well as darker plum and cocoa notes. The palate is so composed and fresh and has a vivid, detailed and neatly layered feel. Drinks well now, as it will for the next six to eight years.

From the home of New Zealand's most famous Bordeaux-style blend, Coleraine, its sibling Awatea is always consistent in offering classic Bordeaux aromas and flavors with the rich vibrancy of the Southern Hemisphere – and with a reasonable price tag. This offers classy, primary fruit with cassis, dried raspberries and plum richness allied with a cool Cabernet Sauvignon expression that's herbal, verging on spearmint, while the Franc proportion offers pencil-lead-like characters. Integrated oak-derived flavors of cedar from 16 months in French oak, as well as tobacco, ensure this is a more serious expression. Fine, grainy tannins linger on the lengthy finish. The final blend is 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and 15% Cabernet Franc.

55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc. Aged in 30% new oak.
Lovely tomato stalk aroma. Blackcurrant and cedar with a long, finely tannic length – very savoury and serious with lots of Bordelais styling. Plenty of firm structure and grip. Has the power and fruit purity to improve over the next decade or more. (RH)