Tasting Notes 2009
Awatea ’09 has a deep crimson colour, with lifted floral, ripe blackberry cedar and spice aromas. The palate is laden with rich dark cherry, chocolate and Provence herb flavours, with a fine, persistent tannin finish.
Te Mata Estate believes this to be the finest Awatea it has produced to date.
Awatea ’09 is a blend of 45% cabernet sauvignon, 40% merlot and 15% cabernet franc. It will continue to evolve in bottle, providing great enjoyment up to 10 years from harvest. It is a natural partner for savoury red meat dishes and hard cheeses.
Technical Analysis
pH: 3.56
Total acidity as tartaric: 5.7g/l
Alcohol: 13.5%
Residual sugar: Dry
Winemaking
The separate parcels of grapes were destemmed before a traditional warm, plunged fermentation and extended maceration on skins. The resulting wines were then run to new and seasoned French oak barrels for 18 months’ ageing. Throughout this time, they were regularly topped and racked. The separate wines were blended in January 2010, then returned to barrel for their second winter. The finished wine was then egg white fined and bottled in November 2010.
Vineyards
The grapes for Awatea ’09 were hand harvested from Te Mata Estate’s vineyards between 19 March and 14 April 2009.
Origin
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.
Awatea '09 - 'Deep garnet-purple color and aromas of Indian spice, sandalwood, cloves and cumin seed over warm blackberries and cassis plus hints of cigar box and cedar. Full bodied with muscular fruit and a good amount of spicy berry flavors in the mouth, it has firm grainy tannins, crisp acid and a long, elegant finish. ' 92 pointsLisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, December 2015 All Reviews
