A Hawke's Bay syrah that sells for $25 a bottle has surprised its creators by being dubbed one of the best wines in the world for 2021.
US wine magazine The Wine Enthusiast placed Te Mata Estate's 2019 Syrah at number 13 on it's 2021 "Enthusiast 100", a list of the best wines they reviewed that year, selected by their team of editors and reviewers.
Christina Pickard, editor of The Wine Enthusiast, awarded the vintage 95 points out of 100 and Editors' Choice and wrote in her review that the vintage was an improvement over the previous year and "once again a lucid, approachable beauty".
The magazine reviews more than 22,000 wines annually and reaches an audience of nearly one million readers in print and 1.6 million unique readers online as the second-biggest wine magazine in the world.
Te Mata Estate had previously made the list with its $125 signature Coleraine wine, but has never achieved a placing with a wine from its more affordable range. Te Mata Estate's 2019 Syrah price is $25.
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Te Mata Estate chief executive Nick Buck said in a statement the winery knew the vintage was great but was not expecting the result.
"Our US distribution has gone crazy and sold out their stocks immediately. With the sea freight issues, we are working hard to get more stock to them, but it's the locals who'll be winning, as it's pretty widely available here in New Zealand."
Te Mata Estate commercial sales manager Vince Labat said the placing was incredible.
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Advertise with NZME."It's quite incredible actually, a $25 Kiwi syrah from Hawke's Bay being ranked number 13 out of all that, so we're pleased," Labat said.
He said the 2019 syrah was an exceptional vintage.
"It was a hot and dry summer in 2019, we've had four exceptional vintages in a row in Hawke's Bay which is quite unheard of. It just shows from that vintage and from Hawke's Bay you can get exceptional wines across the different price points."
He said many of their distributors were now topping up on the 2020 vintage, and wine enjoyers will have plenty to look forward to.
"2020 thereafter is just as good if not a better vintage, so it's looking on the up which we're really happy about."
Te Mata Estate's 2018 Coleraine also saw some success this year, being placed number 52 on The Wine Enthusiast's 2021 top 100 cellar selections list, a ranking of wines reviewed during the year that they believe exhibit the best pedigree and will age best for collectors.
Te Mata Estate was established 1896 and is owned by the Buck family. Their wine is available in more than 45 countries.
