Te Mata Estate Awatea

A deep ‘guardsmen red’, this Awatea Cabernets/Merlot captivates with its nose of blackberry and bay leaf, ripe red currants, and sea spray to instantly engage the senses. On the palate this interplay of red and dark fruit continues with roses, chocolate and black olive with vanilla, cedar and a faint menthol character, layered over a core of perfectly ripe Black Doris plum. Moreish acidity brightens the wine, lifting the classical varietal elements of Awatea Cabernets/Merlot and its fine, powdery, tannin profile. This is a wine of balance, length and appeal, with the clear ability to evolve even further in bottle.

• Winery: Te Mata Estate
• Varietal: 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc
• Region: Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
• Vintage: 2022
• Alcohol: 13.5%
• Volume: 750ml
• Closure: Cork
• Other: Sustainable Winegrowing
• Food match: Lamb roast, beef, game meat, pork & pepperoni; tuna & salmon; pizza; BBQ & heavy red sauces; bleu-veined cheeses

A silky, well-balanced and highly accoladed Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend by Te Mata Estate that will impress on any occasion. Great gift for someone special or corporate gift. Buy right here in our online liquor store and get delivered direct to your door, we deliver nationwide.

Te Mata Estate was originally part of Te Mata Station, a large pastoral land-holding established by English immigrant, John Chambers, in 1854. A homestead and stables were built on the property in the early 1870’s. After returning from France, John Chamber’s third son, Bernard, had the idea to plant vineyards on the north-facing hills around Havelock North. In 1892, Bernard Chambers planted vines on three parcels of hillside land above the homestead and began converting the original stables to ferment and mature these first Te Mata Estate Wines. Today, Te Mata Estate still uses those same three vineyards. The Chambers family sold the property in 1919. Te Mata Vineyards (TMV) was established and the property had two other owners until it was acquired by the Buck and Morris families in 1974 - the two families behind the modern interpretation of this historic New Zealand estate. 

Hawke’s Bay is a very special place for making wine. Its range of slopes, plains and climatic differences, coupled with low humidity and ample ultra-violet light, give winemakers a comprehensive toolkit to showcase their skills. Soils are young and derived from the gravels, silt and sands left behind as the three main rivers of Hawke’s Bay changed course over thousands of years. Te Mata Estate was established here in 1896, specialising in high-quality wines of classical style. Every step in the production of Te Mata's wines are undertaken by them, from grape growing and pruning through to winemaking and bottling. Te Mata Estate is committed to improving its performance in terms of environmental, social and economic sustainability through the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand programme and was one of the first to be accredited in 1995. According to Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Te Mata Estate is one of "New Zealand’s greatest wineries".

THE TEAM

Nick Buck - CEO

Born into the wine industry, Nick was raised at his family’s Te Mata Estate and famous Coleraine vineyard home. He tasted many great wines at an impressionable age and afterward would not consider any other career. A ’94 graduate of Massey University’s Bachelor of Business Studies degree, he worked in New Zealand wine retail and distribution before diving into the deep end of the UK wine trade with a London-based wine importer and distributor. There, he completed his Wine & Spirit Education Trust Diploma, never declining an opportunity to taste his way through the wines of Europe. In London, Nick established a successful French wine importation division for a group of 140 UK restaurants. Then, following a buy-out, he got back to wine production as an intern at Chateau Margaux before returning to Te Mata in time for the 2000 harvest.

Phil Brodie - Senior Winemaker

Having grown up ‘on the land’ in northern Hawke’s Bay, Phil has a natural love and appreciation of the local terroir, the climate, rivers, soil, and sea, and its immense contribution to wine. He combines this understanding with a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Wine Science. Phil is also a Senior Wine Judge and an extreme wine junky. He’s married to Leanne and has two children, Benjamin and Hannah. He joined the Te Mata Estate team in 1992 and has had vintage experiences at Clos des Lombrays, Burgundy, and at Chateau Margaux, Bordeaux.

Brenton O’Riley - Viticulturist

Brought up on a Manawatu farm, Brenton has always had a passion for agriculture and horticulture. This led to studying toward a Bachelor of Oenology and a Bachelor of Viticulture at EIT, Hawkes Bay. At EIT, Brenton was awarded the Mission Estate scholarship and the Romeo Bragato scholarship, which provided the opportunity to travel through Italy’s most famous wine regions. In the following years, Brenton later went on to win the Marlborough Young Viticulturist competition in both 2014 and 2016. Brenton’s career started off in Marlborough as a Technical Viticulturist followed by a Grower Viticulturist for a large-scale national winery. He relocated with his family back to Hawke’s Bay at the end of 2019. 

Jonathan Buck - Director

Jonathan is the eldest son of the second generation of the Buck family. He’s the Estate Manager and CEO of Te Mata’s largest grape-growing site, Woodthorpe Terraces, in Hawke’s Bay’s Dartmoor Valley.

• 94+/100 Points - Gary Walsh, Wine Front (2022 vintage)
• 97/100 Points & 5 Stars - Sam Kim, Wine Orbit (2021 vintage)
• 'Super Classic' & 5 Stars - Michael Cooper (2021 vintage)
• 95+/100 Points - Gary Walsh, Wine Front (2021 vintage)
• 95/100 Points - Huon Hooke, The Real Review (2021 vintage)
• 93/100 Points - James Suckling (2021 vintage)
• 97/100 Points & 5 Stars - Sam Kim, Wine Orbit (2020 vintage)
  
• 95/100 Points & 5 Stars - Bob Campbell, Gourmet Traveller Wine (2020 vintage)
  
• 5 Stars - Michael Cooper, Listener Magazine (2020 vintage)
• 96/100 Points - Cameron Douglas MS (2019 vintage)
  
• 96/100 Points & 5 Stars - Sam Kim, Wine Orbit (2019 vintage)
  
• 95/100 Points & 5 Stars - Bob Campbell, Gourmet Traveller Wine (2019 vintage)
  
• 5 Stars - Michael Cooper, Listener Magazine (2019 vintage)
  
• 5 Stars & 95 Points - Sam Kim, Wine Orbit (2018 vintage)