Te Kahu means 'the cloak' in te reo Maori and refers to the mist that envelops Giants Winery in the Tukituki Valley. Legend has it that this mist was used to protect a mythical Maori maiden from the sun as she visited her lover Te Mata.
Winery notes (2024 Vintage)
"True to its name, Te Kahu is a wine of depth and richness – a Merlot-dominant, Bordeaux-style blend from the Gimblett Gravels. Ripe, dark fruit and supple tannins are carried by a long, structured finish."
95/100 JamesSuckling.com (2024 Vintage)
"Aromas of blackberries, smoke, dried flowers, nuts and a touch of earth. The palate is medium-bodied with nerve, precise tannins that add precision, focused dark fruit and a savoury note in the finish. This is very balanced and should evolve nicely. Drink now or hold."
94/100 Ken Gargett, WinePilot.com, April 2026 (2024 Vintage)
"The name is Maori for ‘cloak’, referring to the mist which can occasionally be found covering the Giants Estate Winery in the Tukituki Valley (if the name rings a bell, the Tukituki River is famous for big trout, a fly fisherman’s nirvana). The blend for this Gimblett Gravels wine is 49% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec. The colour is a mix of bruised plum and mauve. The wine is finely crafted, offering great intensity and impressive balance. Still youthful, it is concentrated, has a supple texture and provides serious length, finishing with sleek tannins. The aromas weave through notes of mulberries, blackberries, coffee beans and chocolate. A really good example of a Bordeaux Blend from this wonderful region in New Zealand. Enjoy it over the next eight to twelve years."
Rated Excellent & 93/100 Cameron Douglas MS, March 2026 (2024 Vintage)
"Great colour with a lovely concentration and depth, ripeness and aromatic impact. Flavours of dark plums and tobacco, blackberries and clay, dried herbs and stone, violets and smoky wood tones. A frim and dry wine with texture impacts from the tannins and acidity framing the core of red berry fruits, boysenberry and fruit compote qualities. Balanced and well made, youthful and lengthy with best drinking from day of purchase through 2033."
93/100 Stephen Wong MW, The Real Review (2024 Vintage)
"Deep ruby-crimson. This young and concentrated wine opens with air to reveal ripe plum and blackcurrant with lifted dark floral aromas and a hint of smoky oak. The palate is densely fruity with flavours ranging from red date and blackberry to cassia, thyme, milk chocolate and licorice. The mid-weight, round tannins are nicely submerged, providing a refreshing crunch and architecture to accompany the acidity. Perhaps not the depth and length for extended ageing but it will provide delicious drinking right away and gain elegance over the next few years."



























