If you're a Coleraine lover—and let's be real, any self-respecting Cabernetphile is—then you'll know that the Awatea Cabernet represents sensational value for the money. Slightly lighter framed and less dense/powerful than the Coleraine, and with an admirably open and lusty fruit profile, the 2020 Awatea Cabernets Merlot gives the people what they want. It leads with leafy, elegant, very fine Cabernet fruit laden with cassis, pomegranate, ferrous notes, a hint of iodine and loads of bramble and bay leaf. The palate is populated by very fine, powdery tannins that shape the flow of flavor. Gorgeous. The draw of flavor across the palate is sensational. The Merlot particularly really shines in 2020 and 2021. There's an oyster shell and tea tree leaf character through the finish.
95 Pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate