NZ-Wide 
NZ-Wide
Free Shipping
Buy Online96/100 "It is a magnificent wine and a tremendous value." – Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate
95/100 "A magnificent Bordeaux-style red." – Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
94/100 "In summary, it’s a lovely wine to drink." – Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
Far from being in the shadow of Coleraine, Te Mata Awatea is a superb wine in its own right. A New Zealand classic that has the win win of being wonderfully perfumed and delicious in its youth but also carries ability to age gracefully for over a decade, not to mention the more modest price tag making it excellent value.
Winery notes (2023 Vintage)
"With a gleaming crimson core and ruby rim, Awatea Cabernets/Merlot ’23 is enticingly perfumed with blackberry, bay, violets, and vanilla. The satisfying palate is detailed, poised and texturally rewarding, interplaying plum, black olive and sandalwood notes with salinity, refreshing acidity and bright tannin length. It has a captivating elegance that is classically Te Mata.
The separate parcels of grapes were destemmed before a traditional warm-plunged fermentation and extended maceration on skins. The resulting wines were then run to new and seasoned French oak barrels for 15 months. Throughout this time, they were regularly topped and racked. The separate wines were blended in October 2023, then returned to barrel for their second winter. The finished wine was then egg white fined and bottled in November 2024. The final blend is 33% cabernet sauvignon, 52% merlot and 15% cabernet franc."
96/100 Erin Larkin, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, January 2025 (2023 Vintage)
"This wine is thrilling: dusty cassis, bramble, raspberry pip, blood/iodine, sweet tobacco, raw cocoa, violet perfume, tarragon and fennel and a hint of hazelnut/nutmeg. This will evolve beautifully in bottle. I love it. It is a magnificent wine and a tremendous value."
5 Stars & 95/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, January 2025 (2023 Vintage)
"As reliable as ever, the wine is wonderfully composed and expressed, showing Black Doris plum, sweet cherry, thyme, and floral aromas with an elegant oak infusion. It’s wonderfully harmonious and expressive in the mouth, delivering juicy fruit intensity with spicy nuances, backed by supple texture and finely infused tannins. This is a magnificent Bordeaux-style red that’s beautifully crafted and splendidly structured, making it hugely appealing. At its best: 2026 to 2038."
94/100 Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, December 2024 (2023 Vintage)
"Plum, raspberry, boysenberry, a slight Cab Franc and/or vintage grassiness, nutty and pencilly, with some floral notes, aniseed and spice. Medium-bodied, bramble fruit (fresh raspberry in particular), some ripe tomato tang, tobacco, a bit of grainy chew to tannin, but the line of acidity is so lovely and crisp – rain-washed and fresh – offering a distinct ‘mineral’ character. Length is excellent. It’s understated, with a classic feel, a sort of bright ‘luncheon claret thing happening, or so I think. It has perfume and presence. So while it’s a somewhat different expression of Awatea, I still like it very much. In summary, it’s a lovely wine to drink."
