Te Mata Alma Pinot Noir - 2019
Te Mata Alma Pinot Noir - 2019
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Grape Varietal: Pinot Noir
Country & Region: New Zealand | Hawke's Bay
Alcohol Level (%): 14
Bottle Size: 750ml
Details
First planted in 1999, Alma is the finest expression of Te Mata Estate's commitment to Great New Zealand Pinot Noir. Alma expresses brooding cherry and delicious ripe, dark plum flavours that unfurl with savoury wildwood scents of truffle and spice.
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.
Winemaker notes
2019: Saturated, dark crimson, Alma Pinot Noir ’19 has an enticing nose of pomegranate, raspberry and black cherry syrup. Mineral and savoury notes – orange peel, peppercorns and sage – all glide across a serene surface of dark, fine tannin and lush ripe fruit. Alma Pinot Noir ’19 is structural. This is a wine of scope and horizons. Its depths are balanced by a lingering fruit acid tension that gives the wine a balletic level of poise, energy and grace.
2019
Wine Advocate 91: The second vintage bottled, the 2019 Alma Pinot Noir is similar to the debut 2018 in that it's a chunky, sturdily built wine, meant for aging. The jury is still out at this point, but this year seems to have a bit more finesse to it than the 2018. Black cherries pick up hints of cola and herbal notes, the combination coming across a bit like a cherry-flavored root beer in the glass (but dry). Medium-bodied on the palate, the tannins are silky-ripe but plentiful, and the wine ends with a suggestion of grilled or roasted fruit.
James Suckling 92: Red cherries and blueberries with some blackberries also in the mix. The palate has assertive, fresh tannins and red-fruit focus. Crunchy and bright. Drink over the next five years.
