2024 Te Mata Estate Pinot Noir

93 POINTS

Sam Kim - Wine Orbit

The wine shows pristine fruit aromas of dark plum and cherry with nuances of warm spice and floral notes. The succulent palate delivers excellent weight and silky texture, beautifully framed by finely infused tannins, finishing persistent and refined. Delightfully composed and expressed with fruit purity and elegant complexity.

93 POINTS

James Suckling

A very direct and serious pinot noir that delivers beautifully pure strawberry and cherry character with hints of spices such as cloves. It’s medium-bodied with firm, lightly chewy tannins and a touch of smoke and matchstick at the end.

93 POINTS

Christina Pickard - Wine Enthusiast

A potpourri dish of dried herbs, spices and flowers weaves its way between tart cherry fruit. A snap crackle of acidity feels like biting into that very same cherry, fresh off the tree, the savory, sappy tannins along for the ride. Drink anytime over the next 5-8 years: there's solid winemaking here which means this will be fairly bullet proof over time.

92 POINTS

Emma Jenkins MW - Decanter

Hawke’s Bay might not be your first thought for NZ Pinot Noir but the combination of a cooler, inland site with older vines and the typically meticulous Te Mata approach make this one to keep on the radar. Immediately inviting nose of rose petals and allspice layered over raspberry, redcurrant and cherry with a light touch of milk chocolate and dried herbs. A fairly generous palate, with a silky texture, slightly sappy red fruit and very fine, powdery tannins. Very nicely made, as one would expect, it offers good value with plenty of bright charm and finesse.

Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Cherry seed, graphite and chinotto lead the aromatic profile of the 2024 Estate Vineyards Pinot Noir, underpinned by notes of licorice root, aniseed and warm bitumen. The fruit was harvested from low-yielding vines with naturally small berries, while leaves were retained on the vines later into the season to preserve freshness and moderate ripening. A mix of clones contributes layers of detail and complexity. A portion of whole bunches was included in the ferment, lending spice and aromatic lift. The naturally low pH provides excellent long-term color stability and shape through the palate. It is juicy and layered yet distinctly dry and spicy, with fine tannins and a long mineral cadence through the finish. The fruit underwent a five-day cold soak prior to wild fermentation, and it was sequentially inoculated to guide the ferment through to completion. The wine spent seven days on the skins in barrel over the gross lees through March and April, building texture and savoriness. Malolactic fermentation occurred later in the season, around December, as temperatures began to rise again. The wine was then removed from barrel in late January, blended and bottled.