Te Mata Tasting Note

Bright crimson with a royal purple edge, Awatea ’24 glows in the glass with youthful poise and vitality. The aroma is refined and perfumed, offering blackberry, dark plum, cassis, redcurrant, and dark cherry with layers of thyme, cedar, tapenade and a gentle floral lift. The palate is generous and seamless, with black plum and blackberry carried by silky, ripe tannins and a savoury umami thread of black truffle, spice and plum sauce. The finish is long, polished and mouth-watering, revealing clarity, balance, and a classical Awatea with depth and graceful evolution ahead.

Te Mata Awatea is often described as a baby Coleraine and is one of Hawke's Bay's most iconic red wines. First made in 1982 as a classic blend of Bordeaux red grape varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Proportions vary each year and the wine was declassified in 2012 due to a cool vintage and the need to separate the two wines, Coleraine and Awatea. Both are excellent and both deliver robust classic reds for drinking now or cellaring for the long term. Awatea delivers excellent value for money for its consistently outstanding quality, great balance of dry spicy flavours and dark fruit forward approachability. 

Te Mata Estate is Hawke's Bay's oldest winery building and one of its oldest wineries; a family owned company with an eye on producing great New Zealand wines modelled on and inspired by the world's classic great wines.

From Amoise...

This Pinot Noir (*label information below) was my first pick from the Two Terraces vineyard in the Mangatahi Terraces, Hawke’s Bay.  Ian and Linda Quinn are conscientious and detail oriented growers with the quality of their grapes being exceptional.

After a carbonic maceration, where there is no crushing of the grapes and fermentation occurs within the berries, the wine was pressed to tank and was a beautiful garnet colour. The following day I opened the valve of the tank and much to my surprise a pink hibiscus coloured wine came flowing out! Totally unexpected, and at first I was panicked, but as I tasted the wine I enjoyed the complexity of flavours: red currants, strawberries and pomegranate with a textural finish.

This wine is perfect for summer, I definitely recommend to drink cold or lightly chilled. Also a great food wine! Spicy foods, charcuterie, fish, grilled veggies and cheese. At 11.5% it is your ultimate picnic wine.

No additions at any stage, including sulphur. The wine is unfiltered and unfined. The grapes are certified organic and my rows have been farmed biodynamically since 2020.

After this wine was labelled, we became aware that the grapes used in making this wine, that we believed to be Gamay, were actually Pinot noir. This was identified following DNA testing of the grapevines. While we labelled this wine in good faith, this news means that the label is incorrect, and this wine is actually a Pinot noir. This wine is sold on the basis that the labelled grape variety is incorrect (the label is correct in all other aspects). Due to this unique situation, we are selling our stock that has already been labelled, while making sure that customers are made aware of this issue. If you have any questions about this issue, please contact amy@amoisewines.co.nz.

The story of Alpha Domus began in 1989 when the Ham Family, Anthonius and Leonarda, along with their sons purchased 20 hectares of bare land in an area of the Western Heretaunga plains, later to become known as the Bridge Pa Triangle Wine District.

Pioneers in the area they established one of the first wineries and were instrumental in the formation of The Bridge Pa Triangle Wine District, giving the sub-region an identity as a premium wine growing area of Hawke’s Bay.

This wine is made using both fully and patially botryised Semillon grapes, harvested from original plantings. Fermentation took three to six weeks and was stopped once the perfect balance of alcohol, acidity and sweetness had been achieved. 

The luscious palate of orange blossom, apricot and honey flavurs are completed by a zesty citrus finish. Ideal as an aperitif, or to complete your evening.

Beach House Wines is a family owned and run winery in Hawke's Bay, founded by winemaker Chris Harrison, who produces three outstanding Chardonnays, including The Tracks - his top wine. 

Full bodied, creamy flavours and all the bells and whistles are present and counted in this wine, which we think over delivers massively on its price. 

The Quarter Acre Chardonnay is a wild fermented, elegant wine capable of ageing gracefully. The nose is toasty and mineral with notes of peach and lemon curd. These flavours continue through on the palate, which shows excellent terroir expression and complexity.

Te Mata Tasting Note

Bright crimson at the edge with a deep purple-black core, Bullnose ’24 is wonderfully expressive and fragrant. Aromas unfold in layers of violet, fresh raspberry, ripe plum and dark cherry, wrapped in black olive with subtle spice and pepper. The palate amplifies the depth of fruit and textural intensity, delivering concentrated richness, framed by a vibrant, precise acid line that imparts energy and a bracingly youthful edge. With underlying power and elegance, fine persistent tannins carry the wine through to a long, beautifully driven finish. Bullnose ’24 is a showstopper. This is a Bullnose for the ages. Enticing, long and beautifully composed.

Outstanding Hawke's Bay Syrah which was first made in the early 1990s from iron rich soils. This makes Bullnose one of the oldest Syrah brands in Hawke's Bay, named after one of the vineyards from which the wine is made (which, in turn, was named after the vineyard owners' love of old cars, particularly the pre 1928 Bullnose). The grapes come from two vineyards, Bullnose and Isosceles, both in the Bridge Pa Triangle; one of the warmer growing areas of Hawke's Bay, thanks to both soil and climate there. 

Aging for 15 months in French oak, which provides its spicy notes and depth.

A beautiful wine for drinking now or for cellaring. 

Beautiful big styled Chardonnay with all the bells of whistles. Flavours of ripe citrus, spicy oak and nutty aromas all add complexity to this full bodied Chardonnay, which was aged in French oak to add weight and soften the succulent citrusy acidity in this lingering, flavoursome wine. 

Hawke’s Bay winemakers Tim Turvey (founder of Clearview Estate) and Matt Kirby consistently make this reserve Chardonnay in a rich, full flavoured style with creamy, buttery flavours to the fore and a full body adding to its crowd pleasing appeal. If you’re among the majority of Chardonnistas who love big buttery styles, look no further than this tasty drop from the long established Clearview on the coast at Te Awanga.

About Clearview Estate

Clearview Estate is one of oldest, most well established wineries in Hawke's Bay and is situated on the Te Awanga Coast, south of Napier. It's a great place to visit for tastings at the cellar door as well as lunch in the dappled shade of the established courtyard area. The winery was founded by Tim Turvey, winemaker and co-owner. The current winemaker is the multi talented Matt Kirby.

"Selected from some of our finest Hawke's Bay Gimblett Gravels vineyards, this small-batch, barrel-fermented wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (65%) from our Gimblett Road and Murdoch vineyards, Cabernet Franc (20%) from our Gimblett Road vineyard, and Merlot (15%) from our Mere Road vineyard. The wine is full and expressive, showing rich fruit with spice, tobacco, chocolate and a velvety texture offering refinement, power and persistence. 

Generous, intense and complex with rich black fruit notes, mocha coffee and sweet spice."

Using the best black currant and blueberries with a little apple to give our Berry Bomb the right amount of zest to ensure the taste explodes.Low in saturated fat, cholesterol & calories. - 5% ABV

VINEYARDS Parcels of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon were hand-picked from selected sites on the  gravel soils of the old Ngaruroro River, and old vine Merlot from the Bridge Pa region.  Bridge Pa Triangle soils feature fine silt loam over red metal gravels, while the gravel sites protected by Roys Hill, feature gravel over fine silt. These sites are free draining and low in fertility, resulting in struggling vines producing fruit of great concentration. Low yielding vines, open canopy management, managed irrigation and Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand farmed were common to all sites. Bridge Pa Merlot delivers ripe, dark plums which compliments the spicy brighter fruits from the gravels. Cabernet thrives on gravel sites and contributes structure, acidity and fragrant berry fruit notes. 

WINEMAKING Batches of hand harvested fruit was chilled overnight before processing the following day. Chilled bunches were hand sorted and de-stemmed, and whole berries were transferred to open fermenters with some foot stomping. Whole bunches were also incorporated in some of the Merlot fermenters. The berries were cold soaked before fermentation, with pumping over twice per day then pressed to barriques at the  end of fermentation. The Merlot and Cabernet matured for 21 months in new and  seasoned French oak barriques. Blended in December 2019 and bottled in January  2020, the final blend is approximately 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. 

SENSORY An elegant Merlot Cabernet blend which exhibits lifted aromatics of fragrant  berry fruits, sweet French oak, and underlying lavender and thyme. Complex and  textural, seamless tannins harmoniously support red and black fruits, earthiness,  and spice. Tautly poised to develop beautifully with bottle age.

Mission Estate Jewelstone Chardonnay is a pale straw coloured wine with complex aromatics of sweet stone fruit, marzipan and struck flint notes. The palate is full and fruit forward with a fine structure and a long clean finish.

Our Herringbone Syrah has risen quickly through the ranks to be recognised as a one of Hawke’s Bay’s finest.  Our 2024 Syrah took out the top spot at the Hawke’s Bay wine awards winning the Champion Syrah trophy.  The 2025 Syrah has big boots to fill but we’re happy to share that this wine is more than up to the job.

Our 2024 Syrah sold out in record time so get your hands on the 2025 vintage now as we can’t guarantee how long this one will last.

If you are looking for a plush, luscious wine that is silky smooth on the palate then this is the one for you.   

The Project wines unite Mission's sustainability initiatives, showcasing their enduring commitment to environmental management. 

VITICULTURE
The fruit for this wine was sustainably grown on our Gimblett Road vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels appellation of Hawke’s Bay. The low water holding capacity of the soils on the Gravels allowed the fruit to hang through early-season rain and ripen to full maturity. 

WINEMAKING

Machine-harvested and fully destemmed fruit was crushed into stainlesssteel fermenters. Fermentations were managed with daily air rummaging. The wines were tasted daily during long post-ferment macerations and pressed once optimal tannin extraction was achieved. Hard pressings were excluded. After malolactic fermentation, the wines were racked into French oak barriques and matured for nine months. 

TASTING NOTES

This wine is rich and generous with silky black berryfruits, spices and elevated floral notes with soft, approachable tannins. 

CELLAR POTENTIAL

Enjoy now, or cellar carefully for up to five years.

The Project wines unite Mission's sustainability initiatives, showcasing their enduring commitment to environmental management.

VITICULTURE
Sourced from old, low-yielding vines from some of the best Hawke's Bay vineyards in the Bridge Pa Triangle and Mangatahi. Machine-harvested early in the morning for freshness. Located on the east coast of the North Island, Hawke's Bay is one of the warmest wine-growing regions in New Zealand. The long and warm growing season provides for excellent ripening conditions and full flavour development.

WINEMAKING

Free-run juice and gentle first pressings only were used in the blend. Barrel fermented in French oak and aged in barrel for 10 months, with a further nine months on lees in tank.

TASTING NOTES

Soft and generous with excellent structure, fresh citrus notes and beautifully balanced with ripe peach, apricot and finely integrated toasty notes. A fresh finish gives a long-detailed ending that keeps giving and giving.

CELLAR POTENTIAL

Enjoy now, or cellar carefully for up to five years.

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