I have to admit, this red wine really surprised to the upside. I expected it, like any wine from Te Mata, to be very strong in it’s category, but it I wan’t prepared for how good it is - especially at this price point. I mean, you can’t buy Cabernet-based CA for WA - or Bordeaux wines anywhere near this good at anywhere near this price. The beautiful nose reminds me of 1980s era young California Cabernet Sauvignon - as in Mayacamas, Spottswoode, Chateau Montelena and the like. While this wine is already really delicious now, it will only improve over the next 15 years. “The 2021 Awatea Cabernets Merlot is dusty and chalky aromatically, with lavender and crushed rocks, pouch tobacco and a sheet or two of nori. The wine feels fleshy despite that, and this brings a pleasurable see-saw of savory and succulent. This is an excellent wine and perfumed to the extreme.” - 96 Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
