Modern Te Mata Estate is led by CEO Nick Buck and Senior Winemaker Phil Brodie (both pictured below), who oversee our approach to winemaking.

Read an insight from former Te Mata Estate Chairman John Buck (CNZM for Services to Wine and the Arts) on why the estate’s meticulous method is so distinctive:

What makes a wine great? I’d suggest that what makes any wine great is also what makes them unique.

 

How can you compare a Petrus, predominantly a merlot from the right bank of Bordeaux, to a Latour, predominantly a cabernet sauvignon from the left bank?

 

These wines are different blends and, accordingly, different blends emerge from different soils. The varietals that suit the vineyard best will, in turn, create wine components that can be blended – not to a formula, but differently each year.

 

Technical spaces for red wine specialisation – like a cuverie – improve the variety of ferments that can be individually developed and the control that can be exercised around their care.

 

At Te Mata Estate we hand pick and then sort the fruit using the Armbruster system of de-stemming and grading, followed by another further round of hand sorting. We have 34 separate, small tanks available to us, and therefore over 68 batch ferments are possible in total.

 

We then have total temperature control throughout our fermentation and barrel ageing. The components are further developed in oak with topping, and three-monthly racking, before being finally blended – the crucial moment where the final wine is ‘framed’ according to what makes the best totality.

 

In composing our wines this way at Te Mata Estate our aim to use this ‘best-in-the-world’ model, rather than just a New Zealand model.

 

It’s a method based on what makes great wine great, and it takes a team of skilled operators working together to achieve it.

 

People who know us well look at Te Mata Estate differently, because we approach winemaking differently. 

 

Yes, it is about equipment, fruit quality, precision winemaking, and the right staff.

 

But ultimately, it’s about the ability to create a wine that speaks honestly of our specifically-selected vineyards and our Hawkes Bay environment.

– April 2025

 

Photo credits: Carl Gunderson for the image of our winemakers and press, M2 Magazine Ltd for the image of Nick Buck, and Richard Brimer for the images of Phil Brodie in the Te Mata Estate cellar and John Buck CMNZ.

The reviews are in. And the reviews are superb!

5 Stars – Michael Cooper

‘Breed, rather than brute power, is the hallmark of Coleraine, estate-grown in the Havelock North Hills and matured in French oak barriques, predominantly new. This notably graceful red is a blend of cabernet sauvignon (80%), merlot (15%) and cabernet franc (5%). Dark and purple-flushed, it is mouthfilling with dense, well-ripened blackcurrent, plum and spice flavours, oak complexity, and a finely structured, very harmonious finish. Best drinking 2030+ (13.5% alc/vol).’

95+ Points – Gary Walsh, The Wine Front

‘I’ve tasted every vintage of Coleraine ever made. The acid line in this wine puts me in mind of the 2021. Blackcurrant, essence of Cabernet thing here, dried herbs (thyme) and nori, tobacco, pencil, liquorice/aniseed … with a very long finish. Wonderful perfume. I’m spending a lot of time thinking about this wine, about where it will go, and where it sits in the pantheon of Te Mata Coleraine, and the upshot is, ‘up’.’

98 Points – Sam Kim, Wine Orbit

‘The stunning bouquet reveals blackcurrant, dark plum, almond, cocoa, cake spice, and rich floral aromas with a hint of tobacco. It’s engaging and captivating and draws you in. The palate exhibits immense concentration and presence, superbly enhanced by silky texture and layers of chalky tannins. The acidity is perfectly pitched and provides freshness to this long-living wine. A wine of meticulous precision and undeniable sophistication. At its best: 2033 to 2053.’

Updated March 2025. Coleraine ’23 is available now at temata.co.nz.

In the realm of Te Mata, Coleraine is the crowning jewel – a cabernet sauvignon that embodies the essence of the variety’s title: The King of Grapes.

The result of an unprecedented vintage, Coleraine ’23 is a remarkable fine wine. You can access the full techinical Vintage Report here.

The illustrious 2023, reigns supreme with a level of expression and finesse as robust as its lineage.A stately example of coastal cabernet, the Coleraine ’23 harmonizes intricate varietal notes with an elegant structureand a power that feels both balanced and commanding.

At its core lies the indomitable characteristics of cabernet –the grape upon which Coleraine’s reign has always been built.Te Mata’s cabernet collection, sourced from seven noble selections across 24 vineyard parcels, is majestic in theColeraine ’23 blend, commanding a regal 80% of the composition.

Joined by 15% merlot and a touch of 5% cabernet franc, this royal assembly reflects the multitude of soil types and vineyard sites that define oursub-regions. Coleraine is New Zealand’s greatest red wine – a true returning king in every sense.

THE BEST NEW ZEALAND WINES OF 2024 – #1 COLERAINE IS OFTEN CONSIDERED NEW ZEALAND’S ‘FIRST GROWTH’, COLERAINE IS EASILY THE ESTATE’S MOSTFAMOUS AND INSTANTLY RECOGNISABLE WINE. AT US$92 (NZ$160), AN EXTRAORDINARY PRICE FORONE OF NEW ZEALAND’S – AND THE WORLD’S – GREATEST WINES.COLERAINE IS, INDEED, NEW ZEALAND’S BEST WINE.- DON KAVANAGH, WINE SEARCHER

COLERAINE IS NEW ZEALAND’S MOST ICONIC RED WINE.IT HAS EARNED THAT STATUS SINCE 1982.- BOB CAMPBELL MW

EVERY BIT NEW ZEALAND’S ‘FIRST GROWTH’, WITH A REPUTATION FORUNWAVERING CONSISTENCY. JUST GLORY.- ANDREW GRAHAM, AUSTRALIAN WINE REVIEW

THE LEGENDARY CABERNET SAUVIGNON AND MERLOT BLEND OF NEW ZEALAND.NEW ZEALAND’S SASSICAIA.- JAMES SUCKLING, JAMESSUCKLING.COM

COLERAINE FROM TE MATA IS NEW ZEALAND’S GREATEST CABERNET BLEND … EVERY 1% PAYS OFF,AND THAT IS THE DEFINING DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GOOD ESTATE AND A GREAT ONE.- ERIN LARKIN, ROBERT PARKER’S WINE ADVOCATE

Coleraine ’23 is available here.

We are thrilled! And honoured to have our team recognised for their efforts.

Our belief is that the evolution of the wine had made modern examples of Coleraine even more precise and refined than ever before.

To celebrate Coleraine ’22 has been made available for the lead up to Christmas. And there is still some available in magnums for collectors.

“The rating is based on aggregated critic scores across all vintages listed by Wine Searcher … and Coleraine is, indeed, NZ’s best wine” – Don Kavanagh. Editor, Wine Searcher

The wine critics include, amongst others, Jancis Robinson MW, Christina Pickard, Tom Cannavan and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

An excerpt of the article is below, the full article and list is here.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

‘First up, however, is a Bordeaux blend from the Hawke’s Bay. The Coleraine by Te Mata estate takes top spot for this year’s best New Zealand wines. One of the Bay’s most celebrated estates, Te Mata was originally part of a pastoral landholding founded by English immigrant John Chambers in 1854. His son Bernard decided to plant the first vines in 1892, and those original vineyards are still used today.

Often considered New Zealand’s “First Growth”, the estate has now been in the ownership of the Buck and Morris families since 1974, the families having driven a more modern style of wine to both critical and international acclaim.

The Coleraine is easily the estate’s most famous and instantly recognizable wine. A blend between Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, although the Cabernet Sauvignon is dominant and, as a result, Coleraine is considered one of New Zealand’s benchmark examples of the grape.

Back in 2014, the Coleraine was a very affordable $60, today it comes in at a still relatively attainable $92, an extraordinary price for one of New Zealand’s – and the world’s – greatest wines.

The 2018 vintage was described by Wine Enthusiast as “showcasing the power and ageability of a world-class red with the precision of this traditional estate. Notes of black currant, plum, black olive, baking spice, dried green herbs, vanilla and chocolate are present throughout.”‘

Now retired, Peter was formerly the Technical Director at Te Mata Estate. One of New Zealand‘s leading winemakers and was a key figure in the development of Te Mata Estate’s culture of wine excellence. Peter describes himself as “a lover of old vineyards and the wines they produce, and fairly old Japanese motorcycles”.

Peter developed his interest in wine through restaurant work while a student. He attained a BSc in Chemistry at Auckland University and then a Graduate Diploma in Wine from Roseworthy College, near Adelaide. He was awarded the inaugural Hazelgrove Scholarship, which involved microbiology research projects at the Australian Wine Research Institute. After a vintage at the Rouge Homme Winery in Coonawarra under John Vickery, Peter returned to New Zealand.

Peter commenced work at Te Mata Estate in 1984 as the sole winemaker and over more than 30 years, oversaw the creation of Te Mata’s range of quality wines. His last role as technical director saw him mentoring the longstanding team responsible for all aspects of Te Mata’s wine production, from vine to bottle.

He has enjoyed a distinguished career as a wine judge at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards, The Sydney International Wine Competition, The Australian Cool Climate Wine Show and as co-chairperson at the New Zealand International Wine Show since its inception in 2005. In 2019 he received a special, one-off Lifetime Achievement Awards at the Gourmet Traveller WINE’s New Zealand Winemaker of the Year.