2025 Te Mata Estate Gamay Noir, Hawke's Bay

Te Mata Estate Gamay Noir is one of the most charming and quietly brilliant wines to come out of Hawkes Bay, a region better known for Cabernet and Syrah but one that has a surprisingly deep history with lighter, aromatic reds. Te Mata is New Zealands oldest continuously operating winery, founded in 1896, and over more than a century they have learned exactly how to let each variety speak through their remarkable sites around Havelock North. Their Gamay is grown on cooler, free draining vineyard blocks where gravel and clay sit over limestone, giving the wine lift, freshness and a gentle earthy backbone that keeps it far from simple.

The wine is a vibrant translucent ruby, bursting with aromas of wild strawberry, raspberry, rose petal and a hint of spice and forest floor. On the palate it is juicy and silky, delivering red berry fruit, subtle savoury notes and soft, powdery tannins that make it incredibly drinkable yet quietly complex. It is perfect with roast chicken, charcuterie, mushroom dishes and grilled salmon, and it also has the structure to age for five to eight years, picking up more earthy and spicy detail as it evolves. This is Gamay with real soul, made by one of New Zealands great estates and shaped by a terroir that brings both brightness and depth.