Te Mata
Awatea Cabernet Merlot, Hawke’s Bay
First made in 1982, Awatea continues to represent the best of the classic Hawke’s Bay Cabernet/Merlot blend. Awatea takes its name from the historic ship SS Awatea (a Maori word meaning “Eye of the Dawn”) that sailed the Auckland –Sydney – Wellington route in the late 1930s. The Awatea was requisitioned as a troop transport in WWII and was sunk off Algeria in 1942.
Fruit for the Awatea was hand-harvested in March and early April from Te Mata Estate’s Havelock Hills and Gimblett Gravels vineyards. Havelock Hills’ north-facing sandy loam slopes produce balanced, elegant wines and form part of New Zealand’s first wine appellation, established in 1996. The stony soils of Gimblett Gravels, exposed by an 1860s flood, are internationally renowned for producing complex red wines.
- Region
- Hawke's Bay
- Appellation
- Hawke's Bay
- Varietal Composition
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
- Aging
- 17 months in a mixture of new and seasoned French oak barrels; 28% new.
- Alcohol
- 13.5%
Bright crimson with a purple edge, the Awatea shows youthful energy in the glass. Aromas of blackberry, dark plum, cassis, redcurrant, and cherry mingle with thyme, cedar, tapenade, and a light floral lift. The palate is seamless and generous, with black plum and blackberry supported by silky tannins and a savory thread of truffle, spice, and plum sauce. The finish is long, polished, and mouth‑watering, promising balance and graceful evolution ahead.
Wine Advocate
96 Points
2023
Aromatically, this wine is thrilling: dusty cassis, bramble, raspberry pip, blood/iodine, sweet tobacco, raw cocoa, violet perfume, tarragon and fennel and a hint of hazelnut/nutmeg. In the mouth, the wine is savory, structural, spicy and chewy, with a ductile splay of tannin that moves across the palate and through the finish. The palate speaks of structure and shape, while the fruit is mostly on the nose at this early stage. This will evolve beautifully in bottle over time, and as the bottle I am tasting here today was bottled four weeks ago, no doubt your bottle will look more polished and sleek. As it is, I love it, but I am sure I will like it more in time. It is a magnificent wine and a tremendous value.
— Erin Larkin, 2025
