From Te Mata Estate, one of New Zealand’s oldest and most celebrated wineries, founded in 1896 and still family owned, crafting benchmark reds in Hawke’s Bay. Sourced from selected vineyard sites with gravelly and clay soils, the 2023 vintage shows aromas of blackcurrant, dark plum, cassis and subtle spice, underpinned by cedar and graphite. On the palate it is elegant yet powerful, with layered fruit, fine tannins, bright acidity and a long, polished finish that reflects both the richness of Hawke’s Bay terroir and Te Mata’s century long commitment to precision and balance.

The 2023 Awatea Cabernets Merlot comprises 52% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. Aromatically, 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. In the mouth, the wine is savory, structural, spicy and chewy, with a ductile splay of tannin that moves across the palate and through the finish. The palate speaks of structure and shape, while the fruit is mostly on the nose at this early stage. This will evolve beautifully in bottle over time, and as the bottle I am tasting here today was bottled four weeks ago, no doubt your bottle will look more polished and sleek. As it is, I love it, but I am sure I will like it more in time. It is a magnificent wine and a tremendous value. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under 44-millimeter Diam 10 cork (usually it's a 44-millimeter natural cork). Next year it will be a 49-millimeter Diam 10 cork. 96 Pts, Drink 2024-2043 - Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate