Te Mata Estate Awatea Cabernets Merlot Hawkes Bay – 2022

First made in 1982, Awatea is generally seen as the second wine to Te Mata’s flagship Bordeaux blend, Coleraine. The grapes for this wine are hand harvested and destemmed before a traditional warm, plunged fermentation with extended maceration on the skins to gain tannins, colour and structure. The resulting wines are then aged for 16 months in seasoned French oak barrels, blended, then returned to barrel for a further 8 months’ oak maturation.

“The 2022 Awatea Cabernets Merlot is floral and layered with cassis and raspberry, chalk and tobacco, paprika dolce and pink peppercorns. This is modern claret at its finest, and I find it to be beguiling in that way. It’s softer and a little less structural than the 2021 but with so much cushioning and fruit. The tannins are firm through the finish, and I feel that balances the sweet fruit well. Yes.” 95/100pts Wine Advocate

“A blend of 44% merlot, 42% cabernet sauvignon and 14% cabernet franc. An appealing layer of herb and berry fruit with a seasoning of spicy oak. Quite a complex wine that is more vinous than fruity. A worthy lieutenant to Coleraine.” 93/100 Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review