95pts Wine Advocate
The 2022 Alma Pinot Noir is supple and ripe, with an infusion of silty tannins and black tea. This is a gorgeous wine, totally svelte and structural at once, populated by a saturation of red fruits. There are pomegranate pearls, pink peppercorns, poached strawberry and even a hint of sumac. This is delicious. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Drink Date: 2023 - 2037

Notes from the Vineyard:
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.

VINEYARDS Separate parcels of fully ripened pinot noir grapes were hand-harvested from Te Mata Estate’s Woodthorpe Vineyards between 22 and 24 February 2022.

WINEMAKING The individual lots were each destemmed and given a traditional warm-plunged fermentation. The resulting wines underwent extended maceration on skins before pressing. The separate wines were then run to a mixture of new and seasoned French oak barriques for 10 months’ maturation.

 TASTING NOTE Dark garnet with a purple edge, Alma Pinot Noir ’22 is a fine wine of both dimension and texture. Intense floral and spice aromas of carnations, peonies and lavender laced with cardamon, nutmeg, cloves, and sandalwood. Bright redcurrant and cherries give lovely red fruit appeal and great freshness to this complex, layered wine. Fine-grained silky tannins run throughout the palate, giving structure and finesse.

CELLARING POTENTIAL Alma Pinot Noir ’22 is closed with a ‘Diam’ cork, which eliminates any possibility of cork taint, allowing continued evolution in bottle for 10 years from harvest.