Te Mata Estate Alma Hawke's Bay Pinot Noir 2021

Te Mata Estate Alma Hawke's Bay Pinot Noir 2021French oak Sweet cherry Lavender Supple tannins "Since its debut from the 2018 vintage, Alma has emerged as the Hawke's Bay region's finest Pinot Noir. Estate grown inland, at the Woodthorpe Terraces Vineyard in the Dartmoor Valley, the 2021 vintage (5*) was matured for 10 months in French oak barriques, new and seasoned. Deep, bright ruby, it is fragrant and full bodied, with concentrated cherry, plum and spice flavours, complex and savoury, supple

• French oak
• Sweet cherry
• Lavender
• Supple tannins

"Since its debut from the 2018 vintage, Alma has emerged as the Hawke's Bay region's finest Pinot Noir. Estate-grown inland, at the Woodthorpe Terraces Vineyard in the Dartmoor Valley, the 2021 vintage (5*) was matured for 10 months in French oak barriques, new and seasoned. Deep, bright ruby, it is fragrant and full-bodied, with concentrated cherry, plum and spice flavours, complex and savoury, supple tannins and a rich, lingering finish. Still very youthful, it's well worth cellaring to 2025+" Michael Cooper, Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide, Feb 2023

"Pristine fruit notes of dark plum and sweet cherry lead the way with notes of floral, thyme, nutmeg and mushroom, it’s finely flowing in the mouth delivering plump mouthfeel backed by refreshing acidity and polished tannins. Exquisite and elegant, yet with power and opulence, this should evolve magnificently. At its best: 2024 to 2036" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Feb 2023

"Brilliant and deep purple colour; remarkable for pinot noir, then an explosive bouquet of black cherry and dark plum, loaded with spices too numerous to list. Oak (30% new) is perfectly harmonised. There is no whole-bunch character—less than 3% of stems were included—so the wine has amazing fruit purity. It's very intense and vivacious in the mouth, with tight, firm but measured tannins and prodigious length. This will richly reward a little cellar time" Huon Hooke, Real Review, Jan 2023

A captivating rose-red and crimson in the glass, Alma ’21 is immediately floral, with notes of lavender, peonies, wild strawberries, and ripe, red cherries. Woodsmoke, spice and incense meld into forest berries and rich black plums on a long, savoury palate hanging on precise, concentrated, super-fine tannins. A wine of persistence, that overflows with appeal, Alma Pinot Noir ’21 is immediately enjoyable and endless in its enchantment. Alma Pinot Noir ’21 is closed with a ‘Diam’ cork, which eliminates any possibility of cork taint, allowing continued evolution in bottle for 10 years from harvest.

Separate parcels of fully ripened pinot noir grapes were hand-harvested from Te Mata Estate’s Woodthorpe Vineyards between 15 and 23 February 2021.

The individual lots were each destemmed and given a traditional warm-plunged fermentation. The resulting wines underwent extended maceration on skins before pressing. The separate wines were then run to a mixture of new and seasoned French oak barriques for 10 months’ maturation.

Alma celebrates Dr James Thomson, a hero of the 1854 Battle of the Alma during the Crimean War and forefather to Te Mata Estate’s Buck family. Knowing the vanquished enemy soldiers had already contracted cholera, Dr Thomson volunteered to tend to their wounds, saving the lives of over four hundred, and sacrificing his own in the process. The medal he was awarded for this selfless act of valour appears on the label of Alma Pinot Noir.