Winemaker Notes
Deep crimson, Bullnose ’16 weaves star anise, violets, black cherry and allspice across a core of ripe berry fruit and luxurious, velvety tannins. From Te Mata Estate’s 120th vintage, this is an enchanting, signature Bullnose. Expressive, darkly aromatic, and replete with fresh raspberry, boysenberry, and espresso, all leading to a finely textured finish.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Wonderfully fragrant—almost perfumed—the 2016 Bullnose Syrah is loaded with violets and peppery spice notes. Never the biggest Hawke's Bay Syrah, the 2016 shows just enough red cherry and raspberry fruit to support those other elements, some silky tannins and a ripe, mouthwatering, licorice-tinged finish. Drink this vintage over the near term. It's entirely destemmed fruit from the Bridge Pa subregion aged in 37% new French oak for 15-16 months.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
An eclectic region on the east coast of the North Island, Hawkes Bay extends from wide, fertile, coastal plains, inland, to the coast range, whose peaks reach as high as 5,300 feet. While the flatter areas were historically more popular because they are easier to cultivate, their alluvial soils can be too fertile for vines. In the late 20th century, the drive for quality led growers to the hills where soils are free-draining, limestone-rich and more suited to producing high quality wines.
Over the passing of time, the old Ngaruroro River laid down deep, gravelly beds, which were subsequently exposed after a huge flood in the 1860’s. In the 1980s growers identified this stretch, which continues for approximately 800 ha, and named it the Gimblett Gravels. The zone has proven to be ideal for the production of excellent red wines, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.
Today the area takes well-earned recognition for its Bordeaux blends and other reds. Expressive of intense stewed red and black berry with gentle herbaceous characters, Gimblett Gravels wines are suggestive of their cool climate origin, and on par with other top-notch Bordeaux blends around the globe.
Chardonnay is the top white grape in Hawkes Bay, making elegant wines, strong in stone fruit character. Sauvignon blanc comes in close behind, notable for its tropical, fruit forward qualities.