2024 Te Mata Awatea Cabernets Merlot, Hawkes Bay

Ruby-purple. This is a precisely balanced and elegant, perfumed merlot blend with both ripe, leafy freshness, bright red plum and redcurrant flavours as well as floral nuance, sustained minerality just enough oak to notice. The rounded, grainy tannins are structural and polished, allowing the mid-weight flavours to tumble across the palate with easy poise. Not a big or dense wine but one with plenty of grace and elegance. Delicious now though it will continue to smoothen and unfold over the mid-term. 24 Feb 2026 Drink 2026–2038

93 points Stephen Wong MW for The Real Review

This wine shows such focus, with blackberry, black currant, walnut, graphite and some dark chocolate aromas. Medium- to full-bodied with layers of ripe, beautiful tannins and a long and caressing finish. It’s all here, and shows such an enticing texture. 62% melrot, 27% cabernet sauvignon and 11% cabernet franc. Hard not to drink now. Drink or hold.

95 points James Suckling

Te Mata has been at the heart of Hawke's Bay winemaking since 1896, crafting some of New Zealand's most celebrated Cabernet and Merlot blends. Awatea, meaning "Eye of the Dawn" in Māori, sits alongside the iconic Coleraine as one of the estate's flagship reds, offering remarkable elegance, structure and value. Drawn from Te Mata's finest vineyards, it reflects the warmth, gravelly soils and maritime influence that make Hawke's Bay one of the Southern Hemisphere's great Bordeaux-style regions.

The 2024 vintage delivered beautifully balanced fruit, with a long growing season allowing Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc to ripen slowly while retaining freshness and aromatic definition. Careful vineyard selection and sensitive oak maturation have produced a wine of impressive depth, harmony and regional character.

Deep ruby with garnet highlights, the bouquet is layered with blackcurrant, dark cherry and ripe plum, complemented by cedar, violet, graphite and subtle spice. The palate is beautifully composed, combining concentrated dark fruits with fine grained tannins, vibrant acidity and savoury complexity. Elegant yet confidently structured, the finish is long, refined and lingers with notes of cassis, cocoa and gentle oak spice.

An outstanding match for roast lamb, eye fillet, venison, mushroom Wellington or aged cheddar. Enjoy now with a decant or cellar confidently as further complexity develops.

Cellaring: Drink now to 2039.