2023 Te Mata Estate Gamay Noir

Its Origins

Unbeknownst to many, Te Mata have had plantings of Pinot Noir for 20 years, during which time they have experimented with the right treatment of the variety. 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. -- Originally a farm with homestead established in 1854 by John Chambers, it was his son Bernard who, on return from travels in France, planted vineyards on its north facing hills - which are still in use. In 1919 the Chambers sold and the Te Mata Vineyards company was established, to continue until 1975 when two associates, John Buck and Michael Morris, ended their 8 year search for a winery location by purchasing on the historic Te Mata estate. By remaining firmly rooted in a kind of modern traditional approach - quality focussed wines made with long-term expertise and from estate-only vineyards - Te Mata Estate have risen and risen as New Zealand’s benchmark for cellaring quality. Depending on variety, both their middle and top end wines are consistently capable not only of balance and appeal on release, but of aging for multiple decades.