{"id":23986,"date":"2019-07-07T13:53:28","date_gmt":"2019-07-07T13:53:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/?p=23986"},"modified":"2019-07-07T13:53:28","modified_gmt":"2019-07-07T13:53:28","slug":"hawkes-bay-new-zealand-10-te-awanga-estate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/new-zealand\/hawkes-bay-new-zealand-10-te-awanga-estate","title":{"rendered":"Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand (10) Te Awanga Estate"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Rod McDonald<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I visited Rod McDonald in his beautifully situated winery in Te Awanga. This is a cool, coastal part of Hawke\u2019s Bay that\u2019s getting quite a reputation for its Chardonnay. Rod started his own wine company, Rod McDonald wines, back in 2006, and in 2016 he changed the name of the project to Te Awanga Estate<\/a> when he moved into his current place. \u2018Now we have somewhere to be it makes sense to move it to that,\u2019 he explained.<\/p>\n

He has several tiers to his range. The top level consists of the Trademark Chardonnay (150 cases) and Trademark Syrah (200-300 cases). Then there\u2019s the Quarter Acre range, which is a growers series. These come from small vineyards around Hawke’s Bay.<\/p>\n

Rod himself owns or leases 75 hectares, and the leases they have are long-term (usually 20 years). 45% of this area is Biogro certified organic. The rest is going into conversion. \u2018It’s never going to be a point of promotion for us,\u2019 he says. And they have enough tools in their armoury to deal with disease. \u2018In NZ limit on copper is 3 kg\/hectare,\u2019 he says, \u2018and generally we don’t bump our head on that.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Te Awanga, Hawke’s Bay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Then there is the Te Awanga Estate range, either from the home block, or the further 45 hectares that are leased and farmed (11 ha in Bridge Pa and 35 ha Mangatahi, which is inland), and this includes a new reserve series from old vines (Chardonnay) and new vines (Syrah).<\/p>\n

\u2018Chardonnay and Syrah are the two varieties that the region should lead with,\u2019 he says. \u2018Most of what we have in the ground is Chardonnay, Syrah and Pinot Gris. Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris does well, and Delegats are planting 800 hectares in the Woodthorpe.\u2019<\/p>\n

But the region has seen a bit of contraction, too. \u2018Contract growers have been removing old vines \u2013 mostly because of old vineyards that weren’t planted in the right place,\u2019 says Rod. \u2018If it’s a good place to grow apples then it’s not ideal for grapes.\u2019 The exception to this contraction is the new plantings of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris by the big companies.<\/p>\n

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Te Awanga One Off Albari\u0144o 2017 Hawke’s Bay<\/strong>
\nFirst crop from these vines in the Bridge Pa triangle. Lively and citrussy with bright with crisp fruit and a hint of pithiness. Nice brisk, linear style with some flavour, and a hint of saline lemon curd. 88\/100<\/p>\n

Te Awanga One Off Double Happy 2018 Hawke’s Bay<\/strong>
\nChardonnay and Viognier, barrel fermented. Very fruity and delicious with some mineral notes as well as supple, fleshy pear and melon fruit. Easy and very drinkable. Tastes of Viognier. 89\/100<\/p>\n

Te Awanga Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2017<\/strong>
\n25 year old vines. Fresh, chalky and limey with lovely taut citrus fruit. Crisp and quite mineral with good acidity. Has some tangerine and a hint of pith. Lovely precision here. None dry. 90\/100<\/p>\n

Te Awanga Estate Chardonnay 2017<\/strong>
\nYoung vine clone 15, with some barrel and tank ferment. There’s a really long hang time for Chardonnay here. It\u2019s picked three weeks later here than the inland blocks, even though flowering is at the same time. Nice peach and pear depth with some nuts and spice. Fleshy and delicious with nice peachy fruit. 90\/100<\/p>\n

Te Awanga The Loom Reserve Chardonnay 2017<\/strong>
\nFrom the oldest Mendoza clones here, hand picked and run to barrel, 11 months in oak, 30% new. This is linear and quite saline with nice spiciness under the pear, lemon and apple fruit. Has some apricot detail on the finish. Supple and fine with a salty edge. 93\/100<\/p>\n

Te Awanga Quarter Acre Chardonnay 2015<\/strong>
\n25 year old Mendoza clone, 7 tons off two hectares. Hand picked and whole bunch pressed. Long time on lees, wild ferment. Lovely cabbagey, matchstick reduction on the nose, with some supple fruit. Very mineral and expressive with lovely detail. This is so expressive. 94\/100<\/p>\n

Te Awanga Trademark Chardonnay 2015<\/strong>
\nInland vineyards, planted in 2005, clone 15 and clone 95. Redmetals, 150 000 year old terrace, cold nights. This is rich but well defined with complex peach and pear, with some toasty notes. Has nice depth and weight, combining richness, texture and also some freshness. Finishes with notes of bread and toast. 94\/100<\/p>\n

Te Awanga Estate Merlot Cabernet Franc 2015
\n<\/strong>Sweet, rounded and supple with a peppery edge to the rounded sweet cherry and blackberry fruit. Shows dried herbs, mint and thyme in the background. Nice grippy structure allied to a lovely rounded, sweetly fruited palate. This is really attractive. 91\/100<\/p>\n

Te Awanga Quarter Acre Syrah 2014<\/strong>
\nPeppery and bright, but also supple with some menthol and mint hints as well as bright, supple berry fruits. Has some blackberry and black cherry. Generous with nice texture to the fruit. 93\/100<\/p>\n

Te Awanga One Off The Banger 2016<\/strong>
\nNamed after the old Holden V8. It\u2019s a blend of Cabernet (off the Gimblett Gravels) and Syrah (Bridge Pa). This shows sweet blackcurrant and cherry fruit on the nose: it’s quite enticing. The palate is fresh with a peppery undercurrent to the blackcurrant fruit. Has a long, savoury finish with intriguing pepper hints. Lovely. 93\/100<\/p>\n

Te Awanga Trademark Syrah 2013<\/strong>
\nThis is ripe and stylish with a bit of maturity, showing lush black fruits with some peppery hints. Saline with some herbs and warm savoury notes. Good concentration here with some richness on the mid-palate. Ripe and expressive. 93\/100<\/p>\n

Find these wines with wine-searcher.com<\/a><\/p>\n

HAWKES BAY<\/strong><\/p>\n