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2020 Te Mata Pinot Noir
92 WE
As low as:
$28.99
As low as:
Sokolin Notes:
This Wine Over-Delivers for the Price!
Featured
Review
Like many of Te Mata's 2020 reds, this young pup needs a little time to open if drinking now. Once it does, there're elegant aromas of cherry and blueberry fruit, violets and roses, ground black pepper, cloves and a slight meatiness in a well-tucked bed of mocha oak. Tangy red fruit on the silky palate is tightly wound by fine tannins and lifted by a crunch of acidity. A unique Pinot that bears the Te Mata stamp of place, polish, freshness and structure. Drink now with rare duck or better yet or until around 2030. Wine Enthusiast
Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE
Critic Reviews
Like many of Te Mata’s 2020 reds, this young pup needs a little time to open if drinking now. Once it does, there’re elegant aromas of cherry and blueberry fruit, violets and roses, ground black pepper, cloves and a slight meatiness in a well-tucked bed of mocha oak. Tangy red fruit on the silky palate is tightly wound by fine tannins and lifted by a crunch of acidity. A unique Pinot that bears the Te Mata stamp of place, polish, freshness and structure. Drink now with rare duck or better yet or until around 2030.
Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE
Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE
Wine Details for 2020 Te Mata Pinot Noir
| Type of Wine | New Zealand Red |
|---|---|
| Varietal |
Pinot Noir
: As one of the oldest grape varieties in the world, Pinot Noir has a long and storied history which began more than 2,000 years ago. This story spans form the time of ancient Roman influence to modern day trailblazing; Old World and New World grape growing. It also involves the most unlikely of “characters” from Cistercian Monks to the Holy Pope and even Hollywood actors; each playing a part in the development of the Noble Pinot Noir grape variety. For a grape that appears simple on the surface, it may be one of the most complex varietals on earth, playing a major role in the formation of some of the most profound and distinguished winegrowing regions in the world. Pinot Noir’s exact origin remains relatively unknown as it is far too ancient to have been recorded precisely. It is thought to have been cultivated in the rocky hillsides of Burgundy by Roman hands as early as the 1st Century AD. At that time, Roman agronomist Columella identified and tasted wine that very much seems to be consistent with today’s description of Pinot Noir. There are complex theories on how either the Greeks or Romans took cuttings of Vitis Vinefera (Pinot Noir) from the area of Transcaucasia (modern day Turkey, Iraq and Iran) and brought the wild vines to France. Speculation aside, what we do know is that the wine-loving ancient Romans spread their dominion far and wide, leaving grapevines in their wake. Their innovative devotion to cultivating wine in French soil set in motion, nurtured, and influenced the winegrowing culture that we very much enjoy today. Around 1000 AD, long after the dismantling of the Roman Empire, the history of Pinot Noir in Burgundy begins to have clarity, greatly due to the extraordinary record keeping of the Cistercian Order of Monks (formed from the Benedictine Order). The Cistercian Monks began gaining authority outside the area of what we know today as Dijon. Devoted to hard labor and prayer, the monks began cultivating the rocky hillsides of early Burgundy, painstakingly documenting detailed records of their vineyards. Centuries of specifying their practices, describing exactly how and exactly where vines thrived or failed and how the resulting wine tasted, the Cistercian Monks unwittingly created the world’s first harvest reports while simultaneously inventing the idea of terroir. These records and the notion that wines reflect their growing locales, permanently shaped the fundamentals of winegrowing and making terroir a critical concept. This concept really gained attention when Pope Urban V refused to return the Papal court to Rome from Avignon due to unavailability of Burgundy wines south of the Alps. The lack of commerce routes inhibiting the Burgundy wine trade did not affect the Cistercian Order of Monks as they were driven towards higher quality and excellence through religious devotion instead of monetary gain. Both the outward remarks of the Pope and diligent efforts by the monks helped place Burgundy in a class of its own. Pinot Noir would eventually spread its wings and infiltrate Champagne, Loire and Alsace, Provence, Sancerre and Languedoc, finding hospitable terroir and new purposes along the way. From bubbles to “pink” wine, it adapted to the soil, revealing the terroir through the wine itself. The early developments and manipulation of the Pinot Noir grape within France was a precursor for the inevitable. The varietal spread through Europe and eventually making a trip around the globe landing in the Willamette Valley, Oregon (planted in 1965 by David Lett). The Pinot Noir grape quickly found a niche in Willamette Valley where it shares the same latitude of 45 degrees north, experiencing similar sunlight as well as a similar cooler climate to that of Burgundy. A few years later it would be introduced to California where it found terroir hotspots in both cool and surprisingly hotter climates, thus spreading to Napa, Sonoma Coast, Russian River Valley, Carneros among others, birthing New World Pinot Noir winemaking. And, of course, there was the Pinot craze that occurred after the release of the movie Sideways which manifested “Pinot snobs” around America. The 2004 American comedy set the market on fire, increasing sales of Pinot Noir in the state of California by 170 percent. The varietal of Pinot Noir thrives in cool climates with terroir consisting of marl and limestone soils of extremely variable composition that mimics that of its ancestral home of Burgundy. For a grape that is notoriously difficult to grow, Pinot Noir is ubiquitous in winegrowing regions around the world, spanning 115,000 hectares. It may be a fussy grape, but when planted in the right location and climate, it reveals the qualities of its host terroir in many different manners. The Noble Pinot Noir grape has greatly impacted the world of winegrowing and making while birthing the concept of terroir; from fruit forward Pinots produced in warmer California localities to New World Oregon wines with Burgundian nuances to Rose in Provence, bubbly in Champagne to the infamous Domaine de la Romanee Conti and its eye watering prices and unrivaled quality. Pinot Noir has long lived the quiet, elegant lifestyle giving Old World winemakers and consumers an ethereal pleasure. New World winemaking has granted it the opportunity for worldwide consumption on any budget and creating the Pinot Phenom. The varietal is now enjoying the best of both “worlds.” |
| Country |
New Zealand
: Thirteen hundred miles off the coast of Australia is the small island nation of New Zealand. The latter is often spoken of in conjunction with the former, but is very much deserving of its own story. Known far and wide for its aromatic and unique style of Sauvignon Blanc, the small wine producing nation is proving convincingly that it deserves a place among the top producers in the world. New Zealand has successfully developed a wide range of wine styles and is garnering global recognition for its viticultural prowess. Vines have been cultivated in New Zealand since 1819; planted by none other than the father of antipodean (term used to describe a person from New Zealand and Australia) viticulture, James Busby. He was the country’s first true wine pioneer and helped pave the way towards creating a prosperous New Zealand wine industry. By the late 19th Century, Dalmatian settlers were cultivating vines throughout Auckland and Northland, providing the foundations for modern New Zealand viticulture. Sauvignon Blanc took leaps and bounds in the 1980s and 1990s producing a style of wine that was praised for its forward and herbaceous flavor and propelling the New Zealand wine industry to heights it had never before witnessed. New Zealand’s key grape and driving force of its wine industry is without a doubt, Sauvignon Blanc. Of the 41,603 hectares under vine, Sauvignon Blanc is planted to 26,559, which corresponds to 64 percent of all vineyard space. Aside from the country’s mainstay, the aromatic whites of Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer have all made good impressions on enthusiasts and wine professionals alike. It is not uncommon to see the regions of Hawke’s Bay, Martinborough and Central Otago gracing the label as they have become synonymous with the country’s well-received offerings. Marlborough is, however, the most productive wine growing region (29,415 hectares) and where Sauvignon Blanc thrives in its host’s hospitable climate and terroir. Most winegrowing regions in New Zealand have a maritime climate and due to the geography of the land and its proximity to the coast (75 miles) the oceanic influence is ever present. The country lies on the boundary between the Pacific Ocean and the Indo-Australian tectonic plate contributing to the volcanic soils that are found in many wine regions, particularly in the North Island. Conversely, the landscape and geography of the south is greatly attributed to glacial movements. Geywake (a variety of sandstone) and schist are also contributing elements to the wide array of terroirs in New Zealand vineyards and form much of the soil present it the country’s rolling hills, mountainsides and many river terraces. Interestingly, there are very few wine regions on New Zealand’s west coast due to the strong westerly winds from the Tasman Sea. The Kaikoura and Southern Alps mountain ranges offer shelter from these harsh conditions and greatly improve growing conditions in the major wine regions. While the aromatic white varieties have found a niche in the cooler parts of the South Island, Syrah and Bordeaux Blends (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet France) have taken to the warmer climes in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne (Chardonnay from these areas have also become quite popular). The small, but intriguing portfolio of red wines produced would not be complete without the mention of New Zealand’s rising star, Pinot Noir; which has made a home for itself in the many popular wine regions, including Marlborough and Central Otago. New Zealand may be a small wine producing country with an annual output of only 324 million liters, but it is one that offers a wide range of New World wine styles that have taken the world by storm, proving its own identity and a major player in today’s market. |
| Region | Hawkes Bay |
Overview
| Producer | Te Mata |
|---|