Tasting Notes 2004
Awatea 2004 is garnet red in colour with aromas of blueberries and boysenberries, as well as dark chocolate and cedar. On the extended palate it has flavours of fruitcake, herbs and dark berries, with fine, powdery tannins and an elegant finish. Awatea 2004 is ideal with red meats and European cuisine and will continue to improve in bottle for 6-8 years from harvest.
The proportions of the finished blend are 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 33% Merlot and 13% Petit Verdot.
Technical Analysis
pH: 3.68
Total acidity as tartaric: 5.6g/l
Alcohol: 13.5%
Residual sugar: Dry
Winemaking
The grapes were destemmed and crushed and given a warm plunged fermentation in individual batches. Following pressing they were run into a mixture of new and seasoned barrels for 20 months’ ageing, during which time they were topped and racked. The separate wines were blended in January 2005, egg white fined during its second winter in barrel and then bottled in January 2006.
Vineyards
Awatea 2004 is produced from grapes hand harvested from Te Mata Estate’s own vineyards between 4th April and 1st May 2004.
Origin
Awatea takes its name from the legendary ship SS Awatea (a Maori word meaning ‘Eye of the Dawn’) that sailed the Auckland - Sydney - Wellington route in the late 1930’s. The Awatea was requisitioned as a troop transport in WWII and was sunk off Algeria in 1942.
