2025 Te Mata Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Hawkes Bay

The 2025 Estate Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc leads with notes of cassis, white currant and passion fruit, alongside hints of white pineapple and yellow guava. A highly detailed approach to viticulture at Te Mata enables smaller, more selective harvest picks, contributing to the precision and detail evident in the finished wine. The palate here is soft and textural yet also restrained and persistent, with impressive length and a distinctly mouthwatering acidity. Fermentation was managed with approximately 200 NTU (nephelometric turbidity units) retained in tank, while different yeast strains were employed across individual vineyard blocks to enhance complexity and site expression. This is very good. Drink to 2035.

94 points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, June 2026

A strong vintage in Hawke's Bay, and here we have a sauvignon blanc sourced from Bridge Pa and Dartmoor. Pale in the glass with a flash of green. Aromas of passionfruit, grapefruit, guava and lime fruits with hints of clover blossom, crushed stone, light crushed herbs and almond paste. Savoury and pure, with a light grapefruit pith, fine mineral acidity and a crisp, dry finish. Drink to 2031.

93 points (Special Value) Dave Brookes for Halliday Wine Companion, April 2026

Aromas of melon, pears and lotus flowers follow through to a medium body with crunchy fruit and a crisp and delicious finish. Lots of Meyer lemon character at the end. Bone dry. Bring on the oysters. Drink now.

93 points James Suckling