THE WINERY: Established in 1896, Te Mata Estate remains family owned, producing internationally recognized wines exclusively from its Hawke’s Bay vineyards, located on New Zealand’s North Island. Te Mata Estate is home to New Zealand’s oldest vineyards and wine cellars with 128 years of continuous wine production. The Buck family were drawn to the estate in 1974, and today, the family continues their pursuit to deliver internationally acclaimed, estate-grown wines of classical style, which represent the best qualities of their variety, vintage and vineyard.

THE WINE: First planted in 1999, Alma is the finest expression of Te Mata Estate’s commitment to great New Zealand Pinot Noir. Alma celebrates Dr James Thomson, a hero of the 1854 Battle of the Alma during the Crimean War and forefather to Te Mata Estate’s Buck family. Knowing the vanquished enemy soldiers had already contracted cholera, Dr Thomson volunteered to tend to their wounds, saving the lives of over four hundred, and sacrificing his own in the process. The medal he was awarded for this selfless act of valour appears on the label of Alma Pinot Noir. The Alma Point Noir is a site specific, single vineyard wine from Te Mata Estate’s Woodthorpe Terraces Vineyard.

The Woodthorpe Terraces Vineyard is a special place uniquely positioned for fine wine-growing with sandy loam over gravel soils left behind as the Tutaekuri River eroded its path through the hills to the sea. Nestled between sheltering hills on a series of elevated, free-draining terraces that step down to the Tutaekuri River Valley – Woodthorpe Terraces is one of Hawke’s Bay’s hidden gems. This is an inland, elevated site in the Dartmoor Valley region of Hawke’s Bay, with a greater diurnal temperature difference than other regions of Hawke’s Bay. This cooler site is home to 100% of Te Mata’s Pinot Noir, a total of 10HA, first planted in 1999.

A memorable, incredibly early vintage. A challenging harvest with two large rain events leading to some early picks from fragile crops. It resulted in wines with great varietal expression, restraint, tension, power, and length.

The individual lots were each destemmed and given a traditional warm-plunged fermentation. The resulting wines underwent extended maceration on skins before pressing. The separate wines were then run to a mixture of new and seasoned French oak barriques for 10 months’ maturation.

Dark garnet with a purple edge, Alma Pinot Noir 2022 is a fine wine of both dimension and texture. Intense floral and spice aromas of carnations, peonies and lavender laced with cardamon, nutmeg, cloves, and sandalwood. Bright redcurrant and cherries give lovely red fruit appeal and great freshness to this complex, layered wine. Fine-grained silky tannins run throughout the palate, giving structure and finesse.