Te Mata may mean sleeping giant in Maori but it is also the name of New Zealand’s very first winery founded in 1892 in the Hawke’s Bay region of North Island.

One writer describes their wines as “impeccable and extraordinary examples in the world of wine” and also says, “I consider Te Mata Estate New Zealand’s finest wine-grower”.

Their top red is called Coleraine and this 2013 cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc blend is the only New Zealand wine that I have ever seen receive a perfect 100/100 score. I would love to offer you a taste, but it sold out at the winery in ten days and I have to wait for the 2014 that we will have a small allocation of.

Remove the DIAM (very high quality) cork from a bottle of their Cape Crest sauvignon blanc 2014 and I promise that you will taste a wine totally unique for this country and one that I would compare with a top bordeaux white. In fact, highly respected Brit, Jancis Robinson, wrote: “Brilliantly forthright oak, like all-butter shortbread. This could be a Graves or Pessac-Léognan.”

It is barrel-fermented with a touch of semillon and sauvignon gris and it is a tropical dream of passion fruit, guava and lime, followed by enticing layers of toasted almonds and freshly baked brioche. The generous palate is lifted by hints of honeysuckle, nectarine and grapefruit. Te Mata feels that it is stunning and the best that they have ever made. If you dare to stray from the beaten path, I suggest that you must try this amazing white that, true to form, is in a traditional bordeaux-shaped bottle. $24.30.

To bring you back to Earth a touch, for $19.50 we offer the 2014 Te Mata Estate sauvignon blanc that is also in a class of its own as aromas of lime and exotic fruit give way to a succulent palate of ripe gooseberry, clover honey, passion fruit currants and citrus. The finish is long, generous and finely balanced with a touch of lemon honey. One review rates it 90/100 and calls it delightful rather than pungent, with excellent fruit purity and fine texture.

Since 1995 Te Mata Estate has led the way with New Zealand’s production of viognier (vee-on-yay) an exotic white wine grape from France’s Rhone Valley that almost became extinct in the 1970s. Their 2014 Zara viognier is named after the first-born child of the third generation of the present owners.

As Te Mata is a recent arrival and I have been off-Island, I confess to not having tasted this yet, although I am one of the greatest fans of this grape.

Let me quote the winery: “Bright gold, Zara 2014 is unprecedented in its level of complexity and texture. Luscious aromas of white peach and white flowers give way to a soft, flowing palate of exotic mandarin, apricots, hazelnuts with hints of lavender and honeysuckle. Powerful, yet restrained, luxurious, yet subtle. Zara ’14 fully delivers on New Zealand’s oldest viognier vines and an exceptional Hawke’s Bay vintage.” $24.30.

The top Syrah at Te Mata is called Bullnose and it just received a remarkable 96/100 score. We have chosen for now to just import their regular Estate 2014 syrah, that sells for $19.50. These may seem very reasonable prices that I am listing and I will share with you that we may not have imported any of them, but because of the considerable depreciation of the New Zealand dollar, we can now offer such wonderful value on the finest wines.

Their estate vineyard’s syrah is made in the style of a cote rotie from the Northern Rhone, where the custom is to include a little viognier to add perfume and floral aromas to the soft red berry and spice flavours of the syrah. At this time I find this wine a little restrained but there is black cherry, raspberry, plum and wild herbs; even hints of blueberry, cinnamon and sandalwood.

Why not be the first to try these benchmark wines from the very first winery to be established in this country where wine exports are booming?

• This column is a paid-for advertorial for Burrows Lightbourn Ltd. Michael Robinson is Director of Wine at Burrows Lightbourn Ltd. He can be contacted at mrobinson@bll.bm or 295-0176. Burrows Lightbourn has stores in Hamilton (Front Street East, 295-1554), Paget (Harbour Road, 236-0355) and St George’s (York Street, 297-0409). A selection of their wines, beers and spirits is available online at www.wineonline.bm