Michael Cooper, Listener, March 2024

Breed, rather than brute power, is the hallmark of Coleraine, which since 1982 has carved out an illustrious reputation. Cabernet Sauvignon is the predominant variety, blended with merlot and cabernet franc. Grown on warm, north-facing sites in the Havelock North hills, it is aged for up to 20 months in French oak barriques, mostly new. A notably graceful red, it is dark, fragrant and weighty, with concentrated, ripe blackcurrant, plum, spice and nut flavours, complex, savoury and seamless.

Best drinking 2029+.

Coleraine ’22, 5/5 Stars

Erin Larkin, Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, December 2023

It is clear to me that the Coleraine from Te Mata is New Zealand’s greatest Cabernet blend—this was emphasized after the time spent in the vineyards. The level of detail and attention paid to determining and managing vine vigor through the use of varied and appropriate cover crops, vine exertion during the growing season and tannin management in the vineyard is staggering.

The 2022 Coleraine is laden at this stage with the outrageous attractiveness of youth. I mean, it’s irresistible. There’s raspberry, nori, rose petals, coffee grounds, star anise, salted licorice, sun dried kelp/nori, warm pine and layers of peppercorns. In the mouth, the wine is so fresh, so alive, with so much energy, but it already is showing the svelte line of this house, this place. With a hint of raw cocoa laced through the finish, I’m sad to push this glass away. It will be the last time that I taste it for a while. A ripper. Excellent. This is composed of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc. Having spent two hours in the vineyards prior to this tasting, the level of detail and viticultural care fills me with comfort and confidence, even more than I already had. It’s great. These older vineyards are looked after to absurd detail. Every 1% pays off, and that is the defining difference between a good estate and a great one.

New Zealand’s greatest Cabernet blend … A ripper.

Coleraine ’22, 97+ Points

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, September 2023

Black fruit, some red, pencil lead, a little aniseed and floral perfume, nori, baking spice, pimento, slight vanilla. Medium-bodied, a fair bit of chew, dark fruit and dark chocolate, porcini mushroom umami, grainy tannin, concentrated and chewy, earthy and ferrous, with a bright line of very ‘mineral’ acidity on a long finish. Excellent, albeit a more Cabernet focussed expression of Coleraine, which marks it out as being different, and on that point such a worthy of addition to the cellar, though of course the wine is outstanding irrespective of that.

Excellent. Outstanding.

Coleraine ’22, 96 Points

Erin Larkin, Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, December 2023

This is routinely a superb wine, svelte and supple. The smaller sibling to the magnificent Coleraine, the 2022 Awatea Cabernets / Merlot is composed of 44% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Cabernet Franc. This is approximately 30% new French oak, the same barrel regime as Coleraine prior to selections. I love smelling Cabernet—a great one can make you smile. I’m smiling right now. There’s raspberry pip, nori, dried herbs (thyme, lavender, etc.), white flowers, coal dust, star anise, licorice … I could go on. The palate is shaped by ductile, ferruginous tannins, which contribute a bloody purity. It’s a sensational wine, grossly underpriced, and it is an absolute pleasure to drink. Do not delay.

A sensational wine … grossly underpriced.

Awatea ’22, 95+ Points

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, December 2023

Boysenberry, dusty spice, floral aromatics, tobacco, leaf and mint. Medium-bodied, powdery tannin, very ‘mineral’ acidity, bright but sitting in the wine well, raspberry and plum, complex and chalky firm on a long finish, a little seaweed in the mix. Crisp. Very fine wine.Very fine wine.

Awatea’22, 94+ Points

Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate, September 2023

The 2021 Coleraine is a superstar… If you are a newcomer to this wine, might I politely suggest you get a wriggle on and get some. It has long been one of the handful of wines that I purchase each year, regardless of vintage conditions, and the trio of 2019, 2020 and 2021 is an outstanding trifecta of balance and complexity. The wine ages prodigiously and gracefully, and the mastering of tannins here is a thing to behold. Pliable, ductile texture and fresh fruit is the calling card of this wine from this estate. It is emphatically, enthusiastically recommended. It’s the best I recall seeing on release in recent years, a total ‘pleasure-dome’ situation….The persistence of flavour here is extraordinary; it’s detailed and nuanced but insistent in the mouth.

A superstar.

Coleraine ’21, 98 Points

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, September 2023

Pete Cowley was one of the greats who should be included in the pantheon of ‘wonderful people who made top shelf wine’, and his baton was handed over to Phil Brodie a few years ago, who’s kind of cut from the same cloth. I know we judge what’s in the glass, and that’s what matters, but still, it’s kind of nice when the people who
put the wine into your glass are exceptional humans who combine talent with humility. If only I could say the same for myself! 88% sauvignon blanc, 7% sauvignon gris and 5% semillon.

Cape gooseberry, guava, cream, spice, cut grass and snow pea. Medium-bodied, grapefruit segments, a little thistle and spice, glossy with a firm cut of juicy acidity and subtle flinty texture, aniseed and perfume, pineapple and creamed rice richness, with a pithy finish of excellent length. It has bite, zest and tang, glide and viscosity, and well, it’s Cape Crest writ large. Drink: 2023-2031+.

Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc ’22, 94 Points

Yvonne Lorkin, September 2023

One of New Zealand’s true icons, not just for Syrah but for wine in general. Grown in the iron-rich soils of the Bridge Pa Triangle, Te Mata’s Bullnose vineyard, is a 15-hectare site planted in 1990 and it’s home to former winemaker Peter Cowley and his family. 2020 was an incredible year for Syrah in Hawke’s Bay and the Bullnose has an elegant lift of blueberry, soft pepper, clay dust and violets on the nose, while on the palate it has silky, gently savoury, bay and blueberry layers and finely tuned tannins which lead to a long, stylish finish.

Bullnose Syrah ’20, ★★★★★

Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review, February 2023

Very impressive Coleraine, possibly the best I have yet tasted. Quite Bordeaux-like with impressive density and complexity. Richly textured wine that is obviously youthful but easy to appreciate. Cassis, dark chocolate, vanilla, liquorice, mixed spice and anise are some of the more obvious flavours. Destined to become a classic.

Coleraine ’21, 98 Points ★★★★★

Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review, February 2023

The lieutenant to Coleraine can move closer to its iconic big brother in a favourable vintage like 2021, making it even better value. An elegant blend more in the style of Right Bank Bordeaux than the beefier Left Bank. Can be enjoyed now but should develop well with some bottle age.

Awatea Cabernets/Merlot ’21, 93 Points ★★★★

Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review, February 2023

An almost inky red with impressive density that’s underpinned with vibrant acidity that gives the wine energy. Slightly closed and youthful, it will respond well to careful bottle age.

Bullnose Syrah ’21, 95 Points ★★★★★

Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review, February 2023

Silken, seamless pinot noir with bright cherry, plum, mixed spice, violet and a suggestion of mineral/oyster shell. Attractively scented wine hints at the underlying power and cellaring potential.

Alma Pinot Noir ’21, 94 Points ★★★★

James Suckling, March 2023

This includes some Gimblett Gravel fruit, which gives black and white-pepper, iodine, lead-pencil, and black-fruit aromas and flavors. Tar and asphalt, too. Full-bodied and tied in with a lovely structure and focus. Linear and very racy. Terrific integration and structure. Drinkable now, but better in two or three years.

Bullnose Syrah ’21, 96 Points

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, February 2023

The 2021 Coleraine exhibits a commanding presence and majestic poise. The bouquet reveals classic aromas of cassis, dark plum and violet with whispering nuances of cedar and cigar. There are hints of warm spices, compounding the pleasure upon inhalation. The palate is bold and graceful at once, enhanced by plush texture and multi-layered mouthfeel, beautifully framed by refreshing acidity and fine chalky tannins. Robust and substantial with a great line and length, which seem to go on to infinity. This youthful wine is already impossible to resist, but time will reward those who can wait.

In sports, they often talk about ‘The Greatest of All Time’, or ‘The GOAT’. This 2021 Coleraine is undeniably THE GOAT of New Zealand wine.

Coleraine ’21, 100 Points ★★★★★

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, February 2023

Offering harmony and structure within an opulent frame of rich fruit and silky tannins, this is a gratifying red offering awesome value. The enticing bouquet shows blackcurrant, mulberry, tobacco and cedary oak characters with a delicate floral overtone. The palate displays amazing depth and persistency, wonderfully complemented by delectable fruit flavours with spicy nuances. Tannins are fine, mouth-coating and just right, making it structured and seamless at the same time.

Awatea Cabernets/Merlot ’21, 97 Points ★★★★★

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, February 2023

Expressing precision and purity, combined with brooding strength and complexity, this is spectacular and breath-taking. Immediately appealing with dark plum, sweet cherry, graphite, olive, spicy oak and floral aromas, it’s succulent and fleshy in the mouth delivering layers of seductive flavours backed by beautifully infused tannins. It’s mouthfilling and velvety with a prolonged engaging finish.

Bullnose Syrah ’21, 99 Points ★★★★★

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, February 2023

Pristine fruit notes of dark plum and sweet cherry lead the way with notes of floral, thyme, nutmeg, and mushroom, it’s finely flowing in the mouth delivering plump mouthfeel backed by refreshing acidity and polished tannins. Exquisite and elegant, yet with power and opulence, this should evolve magnificently.

Alma Pinot Noir, 96 Points ★★★★★

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, February 2023

A gorgeously composed chardonnay with a great degree of elegance, showing nectarine, rock melon, lemon peel, oatmeal, and roasted hazelnut characters on the nose, followed by a superbly structured palate that’s laced with ripe fruit intensity and stylish oak infusion. Bright acidity provides balance and frame, while richly textured mouthfeel leads to a persistent sensual finish.

Elston Chardonnay ’21, 96 Points ★★★★★

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, February 2023

Combining stunning fruit purity with elegant complexity, the wine shows crunchy apple, fig, kaffir lime and white floral aromas with a hint of savoury pastry. The palate displays excellent focus and drive, wonderfully complemented by fine texture and perfectly pitched acidity, finishing superbly long and vibrant.

Cape Crest ’21, 96 Points ★★★★★

Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide, February 2023

Breed, rather than brute power, is the hallmark of Coleraine (correctly pronounced Cole-raine rather than Coler-aine), which since its first vintage in 1982 has carved out an illustrious reputation among New Zealand’s claret-style reds. In all vintages since 2007, Cabernet Sauvignon has been the predominant variety. At its best, it is a magical Hawke’s Bay wine, with a depth, complexity and subtlety on the level of a top-class Bordeaux. The grapes are grown and hand-picked in the Havelock North hills, in the company’s warm, north-facing Buck and 1892 vineyards, and the wine is matured for 16 to 20 months in French oak barriques, predominantly new. The very elegant, beautifully poised 2021 vintage (5) is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (56 per cent), Merlot (32 per cent) and Cabernet Franc (12 per cent). Highly refined, it is deeply coloured and mouthfilling, with fresh, notably concentrated blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, hints of herbs and nuts, lovely complexity and a lasting finish. Best drinking 2026+.

Coleraine ’21, ★★★★★, Super Classic

Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide, February 2023

Positioned below its Coleraine stablemate in Te Mata’s hierarchy of Hawke’s Bay, claretstyle reds, Awatea is grown at Havelock North and in the Bullnose Vineyard, inland from Hastings. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, it is hand-harvested and matured for 15 to 18 months in French oak barriques (partly new). Compared to Coleraine, in its youth Awatea is more seductive, more perfumed, and tastes more of sweet, ripe fruit, but it is more forward and slightly less concentrated. The wine can mature gracefully for many years, but is also typically delicious in its youth. The 2021 vintage (5★) is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (50 per cent), Merlot (36 per cent) and Cabernet Franc (14 per cent). Dark and purple-flushed, it is mouthfilling, with deep blackcurrant, berry and spice flavours, complex and savoury, finely tuned tannins and a very harmonious finish. An elegant, rich, distinctive red, it offers great value and should be at its best 2026+.

Awatea Cabernets/Merlot ’21, ★★★★★, Super Classic

Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide, February 2023

This consistently classy red is estate-grown and hand-picked in the Bullnose and Isosceles vineyards, in the Bridge Pa Triangle, and the Hotspur vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels. Matured for 16 months in French oak barriques (partly new), the dark, dense 2021 vintage (5★) is still very youthful. Deeply coloured, with a fragrant, spicy bouquet, it is mouthfilling, with concentrated, vigorous blackcurrant, plum, spice and nut flavours, highly refined tannins and a harmonious, savoury, lasting finish. Best drinking 2026+.

Bullnose Syrah ’21, ★★★★★, Super Classic

Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide, February 2023

Since its debut from the 2018 vintage, Alma has emerged as the Hawke’s Bay region’s finest Pinot Noir. Estate-grown inland, at the Woodthorpe Terraces Vineyard in the Dartmoor Valley, the 2021 vintage (5★) was matured for 10 months in French oak barriques, new and seasoned. Deep, bright ruby, it is fragrant and full-bodied, with concentrated cherry, plum and spice flavours, complex and savoury, supple tannins and a rich, lingering finish. Still very youthful, it’s well worth cellaring to 2025+.

Alma Pinot Noir ’21, ★★★★★, Hawke’s Bay region’s finest Pinot Noir

Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide, February 2023

One of New Zealand’s most illustrious Chardonnays, Elston is a stylish, intense, slowly evolving wine. At around four years old, it is notably complete, showing concentration and finesse. The grapes are hand-harvested from mature vines grown in hillside vineyards above the winery at Havelock North, and the wine is fully fermented and matured for nearly a year in French oak barriques (partly new). Bright, light yellow/green, the 2021 vintage (5★) is already very expressive. Richly fragrant, it is full-bodied, with concentrated stonefruit flavours, excellent complexity, good acid spine and a savoury, long, very harmonious finish. Best drinking 2024+.

Elston Chardonnay ’21, ★★★★★, Super Classic

Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide, February 2023

This oak-aged Hawke’s Bay label is impressive for its ripely herbal, complex, sustained flavours. Most of the grapes are hand-picked in the company’s relatively warm Bullnose Vineyard, inland from Hastings (the rest is grown at Woodthorpe, in the Dartmoor Valley), and the blend includes small proportions of Sémillon (to add longevity) and Sauvignon Gris (which contributes weight and mouthfeel). The wine is fully fermented and lees-aged for eight to eleven months in French oak barriques (partly new). Bright, light lemon/green, the 2021 vintage (5★) is a richly fragrant, mouthfilling wine, with concentrated, ripe, tropical fruit flavours, finely integrated oak adding complexity, and a very harmonious, long finish. A distinctive, delicious wine, drinking well now, it should be at its best 2024+.

Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc ’21, ★★★★★, Super Classic

Michael Cooper, February 2023

This highly attractive red is a blend of Merlot (49%), Cabernet Sauvignon (43%) and Cabernet Franc (8%). Estate-grown in the Havelock Hills, the Bridge Pa Triangle, the Gimblett Gravels and the Dartmoor Valley, it was matured for a year in French oak barrels (partly new). Deeply coloured, it is fragrant, fresh and full-bodied, with very generous blackcurrant, plum, herb and spice flavours, gently seasoned with oak, and excellent vigour, structure and depth. Still very youthful, it should be at its best 2025+.

Merlot Cabernet ’21, Best Buy

James Suckling, January 2023

The Te Mata Hawke’s Bay Coleraine 2021 is a terrific young wine with superb depth and complexity as well as just the right amount of muscular tannins to give length and structure for the long term. Yet the polished texture makes it so attractive now. Is it one of the best Coleraines ever?

Redcurrant and creme de cassis aromas. Roses. So aromatic. Stones. Oyster and mussel shell. Ink pot. Lead pencil shavings. Full-bodied but very tight and focused. Linear and long with fine, powdery and chewy tannins. Crushed velvet texture. 56% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot, and 12% cabernet franc. More franc than normal in the blend. Terrific length.

Coleraine ’21, 98 Points

Anne Krebiehl MW, Decanter, December 2022

Baked plum, cream and a touch of vanilla almost have an overtone of citrus. The palate is alive with white pepper spiciness, dense with ripe plum and red cherry, while a lactic note sets another aromatic accent. Fruit and flavour are concentrated yet the texture is very fine. Tannins are like starched velvet – rich, smooth and crunchy – and the aromas just swirl with heady abandon. This presses just so many pleasure buttons.

Bullnose Syrah ’21, 96 Points

Huon Hooke, The Real Review, January 2023

Very deep bright purple colour; the bouquet shows similar mulberry, blackcurrant and raspberry fruit aromas as the Awatea but the wine is more concentrated all-round and shows a little more oak (65% new). There are violet notes and a sprinkle of spices including nutmeg too. The tannins are more persuasive and mouthcoating also, and the length is prodigious.

A smashing cabernet blend, and a top vintage for this wine.

Coleraine ’21, 97 Points ★★★★★

Huon Hooke, The Real Review, January 2023

Deep-ish purple-red colour, glowing and bright; there are fresh mulberry, blackcurrant and raspberry aromas paired with a delicate sheen of barely perceptible nuttiness from oak (30% new). The wine is tautly focused, poised and long on the palate, refined and vibrant. It’s just a babe and will reward cellaring big-time.

Awatea Cabernets/Merlot ’21, 95 Points ★★★★★

Huon Hooke, The Real Review, January 2023

Almost glass-staining purple colour, very bright; the bouquet loaded with an amalgam of brown spice aromas, toasted nuts too, including clove, nutmeg and pepper.

A powerful, concentrated and tensioned wine with bright acidity and firm but measured tannins that lead into a very long finish. Great potential here.

Bullnose Syrah ’21, 96 Points ★★★★★

Huon Hooke, The Real Review, January 2023

Brilliant and deep purple colour; remarkable for pinot noir, then an explosive bouquet of black cherry and dark plum, loaded with spices too numerous to list. Oak (30% new) is perfectly harmonised. There is no wholebunch character—less than 3% of stems were included—so the wine has amazing fruit purity. It’s very intense and vivacious in the mouth, with tight, firm but measured tannins and prodigious length.

This will richly reward a little cellar time.

Alma Pinot Noir ’21, 96 Points ★★★★★

Huon Hooke, The Real Review, January 2023

Light, bright yellow hue with a complex bouquet of sneaky hints of buttered toast, roasted hazelnuts and underlying citrus fruits, lemon and grapefruit. Creamy lees and shortbreadlike malo characters. There is excellent intensity of flavour powered along by great acidity that really drives the wine and prevents it being heavy. Concentration and drive in spadefuls. A generous, mouthfilling chardonnay with great amplitude and incredible length. Very satisfying to sip.

No hurry to drink it—and time will bring increased complexity

Elston Chardonnay ’21, 96 Points ★★★★★

Huon Hooke, The Real Review, January 2023

Light yellow hue leads into a powerful bouquet of nutty, spicy barrel-fermented aromas well meshed with ripe sauvignon fruit aromas, the palate likewise intense and long, with great volume and concentration as well as wonderful focus.

A top barrel fermented style of savvy.

Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc ’21, 96 Points ★★★★★

Huon Hooke, The Real Review, January 2023

Very deep, bright purple-red colour with a slightly raw, callow aroma of mulberry, blueberry and violet, the palate lean and sinewy with intensity and focus, tension and length, with fine, lacy tannins and good balance. Enjoy it now for its remarkable fruit purity or cellar to build some complexity.

Merlot/Cabernet ’21, 92 Points ★★★★

Huon Hooke, The Real Review, January 2023

Deep, bright purple-red colour; very attractive brown spices, liquorice, black fruit aromas, with a touch of earthy/stony character. It’s medium bodied at best, with lively palate presence encouraged by fresh acidity, the palate drying with savoury, powdery tannins and the balance is good, albeit towards the dry end of the spectrum.

Syrah ’21, 91 Points ★★★★

Huon Hooke, The Real Review, January 2023

Pale colour; very fragrant aromas, citrus fruits and small flowers, the intensity is very good and it’s bone-dry and long in the mouth.

Sauvignon Blanc ’22, 92 Points ★★★★

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, December 2022

Pineapple, fresh strawberry with green bits, guava, cinnamon oak, a
touch of match stick. Saline, crunchy, fresh pineapple, creamy, some vanilla and spiced oak, clean and fleshy, nashi pear, pink grapefruit, oregano and thyme (quite a few things, really), fine chalk dust texture, a gentle grassiness and youthful oak bobs up on a long finish. These wines age very well, so while good now, no hurry if you like them with some extra complexity.

Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc ’21, 94 Points

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, December 2022

This is Mendoza and 548 clone. 30% new French oak for 11 months. A bit more restraint and brightness to Elston these days, though it still has a certain opulence. Almond, cinnamon, nutmeg, green tobacco, a little gun smoke, nashi pear and nectarine. There’s some real lemonade flavour along with dried pear, a pleasing crunch and freshness to acidity, a friand and dried coconut richness, and a bright finish of excellent length. Ticks a lot of boxes, you might say. Very good chardonnay.

Elston Chardonnay, 94 Points

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, December 2022

Seem to have missed the 2020 Bullnose, though here we are with the 2021, which is a similar vintage in terms of quality and character, though comes with a bit more freshness in terms of acid profile, and perhaps more aromatics. Intense purple colour. Very bright and floral, a sniff of black and white pepper
and baking spice, really quite exotic perfume here, grilled meat, purple fruit, boysenberry. Gee, it really pops. Medium-bodied, bright and fresh, lots of energy, red fruits, graphite tannin, umami flavours but not at the expense of fragrance and finesse. Finish is excellent, and long, kind of dusty and spicy, a distinctly cool ‘mineral’ feel, with a game and juniper berry edge. A terrific expression of Hawke’s Bay syrah.

Bullnose Syrah ’21, 95+ Points

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, December 2022

50% cabernet sauvignon, 36% merlot and 14% cabernet franc. Tasted alongside the 2020 and while they’re obviously similar, there’s more acidity and leafy perfume in the 2021.

Blackcurrant, raspberry and leaf, tobacco, and spicy perfume, pencil/cedar oak. Medium-bodied, tannin sits so nicely within the wine, fresh and long, with classic fragrance in with that. So ‘minerally’ and cool. Very long. Precision and definition mark it out as a wine of class and fine filigreed deliciousness. It’s just
so good, energetic, stony and definitely worthy of cellaring. Superb.

Awatea Cabernets/Merlot ’21, 95+ Points

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, December 2022

56% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot, 12% cabernet franc. Because I care, I just nipped down to the cellar to open a bottle of the 2020 Coleraine to compare and contrast with the 2021. The 2020 is packed with tannin, texture, earthiness, and power, while the 2021 is brighter, a bit more frisky in acidity, with more leafy perfume. A little more flamboyant, but equal. It’s not a competition, more of a love in. The 2021 may well be the ‘better’ wine in time, though it’s kind of hard to tell, and may just come down to personal preference.

Dark and intense, lots of perfume, red and black fruits, tobacco, a leafy pop that’s pure varietal class, creamy oak, lead pencils, aniseed and spice. Medium to full-bodied, a flood of flavour, super ‘mineral’ feel to the acidity, tannin is superb, and the finish is so long. Light but so dense. There’s a fresh raspberry juiciness here too, and an extra dimension of tension and energy. All the graphite and presence. Incredible wine.

Coleraine ’21, 97+ points

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, October 2022

I just got off a Zoom tasting with the affable, intelligent and perceptive winemaker from Te Mata Estate, Phil Brodie, and we discussed what might be coming from them in vintage 2021, with respect to Awatea and Coleraine. Pretty exciting, I’d say. From my point of view, I see this entry level wine as a hybrid of the structure and thrumming power of 2019, with the rich and fleshy flavour of 2020. The shape of things to come. Pencils, black fruit, black olive, violet, spice. Medium-bodied, ripe tannin, rich, zesty, green and black olive, blue and red fruit. aniseed, crushed berries, such a good wine, so lively and packed with dark berry fruit and saline flavour. Firm grip of tannin on a very long finish. All the things. Impeccable. Hard to imagine a better value, and more serious Bordeaux blend at this price point.

Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc '20 - Richard Hemming, Jancis Robinson.com, August 2022

 Te Mata’s Cape Crest aligns with the Bordeaux model of dry, oak-influenced, ageworthy Sauvignon Blanc – and absolutely bears comparison with the great whites of Pessac-Léognan and Graves.

The 2020 vintage is a blend of 85% Sauvignon Blanc, 9% Sémillon and 6% Sauvignon Gris, fermented and matured in French oak barriques (of which 30% were new) for 11 months, which is very much the traditional recipe for the style. The result is a lip-smacking combo of butter, cream and spice, alongside box-fresh citric fruit and leafy notes that are the hallmarks of the variety.

Te Mata are best known for their reds, especially the much-admired Coleraine bordeaux blend, but when tasting their range recently it was Cape Crest that stood out for me. Not only are the flavours both utterly delicious and wholly representative of an underrated style, but it also has a beguiling waxiness that would make it an ideal partner for many types of dish. I can imagine it holding up equally well to seafood salads, creamy sauces, or even local lamb
cooked with Moroccan spices.

Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc '20, Yvonne Lorkin, August 2022

One sip and you’ll see straight away how this wine has become an absolute aristocrat in sauvignon blanc circles. Gorgeously golden in the glass, it’s crafted from a blend of 85% sauvignon blanc, 9% semillon and 6% sauvignon gris which is gently fermented in a mixture of new and seasoned French oak barrels which adds flesh and complexity. It was then aged on its lees, and stirred regularly for 11 months to create a wine scented with smoked lemongrass, soft basil, beeswax and magical marzipan. On the palate, it shows precision, supple lines and deep, lingering textures to finish. Love it. ★★★★ 1/2

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, November 2021

Coleraine ’20 – Unbelievably good. Young, but the potential is overwhelmingly potent. Floral, nutty, intense small-berried fruit, cedar, anise and sweet herb. Tight, medium-bodied, so concentrated, but light too, ultra-mineral, fresh, all the gravel and tense cabernet feel, but with perfume unlocked: so flagrant and fragrant. The length is superb. I’m taken aback by the beauty and essence-like nature of this wine. My precious. Easily one of the best wines I’ve tasted in the last decade.’ 98+ Points

Huon Hooke, The Wine Front, February 2022

Coleraine ’20 – ‘Very deep, bold, bright purple/red colour, the aromas similarly impressive for their concentration and vibrancy. The wine is superconcentrated and loaded with drying, savoury tannins that add a smidgin of bitterness that helps cleanse the aftertaste, which is formidably long. A sensational cabernet blend, gorgeously flavoured and perfumed, profound and lingering. It has the intensity and structure to age longterm. The patient will be handsomely rewarded.’ 97 Points ★★★★★

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Erin Larkin, Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, December 2023

It is clear to me that the Coleraine from Te Mata is New Zealand’s greatest Cabernet blend—this was emphasized after the time spent in the vineyards. The level of detail and attention paid to determining and managing vine vigor through the use of varied and appropriate cover crops, vine exertion during the growing season and tannin management in the vineyard is staggering.

The 2022 Coleraine is laden at this stage with the outrageous attractiveness of youth. I mean, it’s irresistible. There’s raspberry, nori, rose petals, coffee grounds, star anise, salted licorice, sun dried kelp/nori, warm pine and layers of peppercorns. In the mouth, the wine is so fresh, so alive, with so much energy, but it already is showing the svelte line of this house, this place. With a hint of raw cocoa laced through the finish, I’m sad to push this glass away. It will be the last time that I taste it for a while. A ripper. Excellent. This is composed of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc. Having spent two hours in the vineyards prior to this tasting, the level of detail and viticultural care fills me with comfort and confidence, even more than I already had. It’s great. These older vineyards are looked after to absurd detail. Every 1% pays off, and that is the defining difference between a good estate and a great one.

New Zealand’s greatest Cabernet blend … A ripper.

Coleraine ’22, 97+ Points

Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate, September 2023

The 2021 Coleraine is a superstar… If you are a newcomer to this wine, might I politely suggest you get a wriggle on and get some. It has long been one of the handful of wines that I purchase each year, regardless of vintage conditions, and the trio of 2019, 2020 and 2021 is an outstanding trifecta of balance and complexity. The wine ages prodigiously and gracefully, and the mastering of tannins here is a thing to behold. Pliable, ductile texture and fresh fruit is the calling card of this wine from this estate. It is emphatically, enthusiastically recommended. It’s the best I recall seeing on release in recent years, a total ‘pleasure-dome’ situation….The persistence of flavour here is extraordinary; it’s detailed and nuanced but insistent in the mouth.

A superstar.

Coleraine ’21, 98 Points

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, September 2023

Pete Cowley was one of the greats who should be included in the pantheon of ‘wonderful people who made top shelf wine’, and his baton was handed over to Phil Brodie a few years ago, who’s kind of cut from the same cloth. I know we judge what’s in the glass, and that’s what matters, but still, it’s kind of nice when the people who
put the wine into your glass are exceptional humans who combine talent with humility. If only I could say the same for myself! 88% sauvignon blanc, 7% sauvignon gris and 5% semillon.

Cape gooseberry, guava, cream, spice, cut grass and snow pea. Medium-bodied, grapefruit segments, a little thistle and spice, glossy with a firm cut of juicy acidity and subtle flinty texture, aniseed and perfume, pineapple and creamed rice richness, with a pithy finish of excellent length. It has bite, zest and tang, glide and viscosity, and well, it’s Cape Crest writ large. Drink: 2023-2031+.

Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc ’22, 94 Points

Yvonne Lorkin, September 2023

One of New Zealand’s true icons, not just for Syrah but for wine in general. Grown in the iron-rich soils of the Bridge Pa Triangle, Te Mata’s Bullnose vineyard, is a 15-hectare site planted in 1990 and it’s home to former winemaker Peter Cowley and his family. 2020 was an incredible year for Syrah in Hawke’s Bay and the Bullnose has an elegant lift of blueberry, soft pepper, clay dust and violets on the nose, while on the palate it has silky, gently savoury, bay and blueberry layers and finely tuned tannins which lead to a long, stylish finish.

Bullnose Syrah ’20, ★★★★★

Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review, February 2023

Very impressive Coleraine, possibly the best I have yet tasted. Quite Bordeaux-like with impressive density and complexity. Richly textured wine that is obviously youthful but easy to appreciate. Cassis, dark chocolate, vanilla, liquorice, mixed spice and anise are some of the more obvious flavours. Destined to become a classic.

Coleraine ’21, 98 Points ★★★★★

Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review, February 2023

The lieutenant to Coleraine can move closer to its iconic big brother in a favourable vintage like 2021, making it even better value. An elegant blend more in the style of Right Bank Bordeaux than the beefier Left Bank. Can be enjoyed now but should develop well with some bottle age.

Awatea Cabernets/Merlot ’21, 93 Points ★★★★

Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review, February 2023

An almost inky red with impressive density that’s underpinned with vibrant acidity that gives the wine energy. Slightly closed and youthful, it will respond well to careful bottle age.

Bullnose Syrah ’21, 95 Points ★★★★★

Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review, February 2023

Silken, seamless pinot noir with bright cherry, plum, mixed spice, violet and a suggestion of mineral/oyster shell. Attractively scented wine hints at the underlying power and cellaring potential.

Alma Pinot Noir ’21, 94 Points ★★★★

James Suckling, March 2023

This includes some Gimblett Gravel fruit, which gives black and white-pepper, iodine, lead-pencil, and black-fruit aromas and flavors. Tar and asphalt, too. Full-bodied and tied in with a lovely structure and focus. Linear and very racy. Terrific integration and structure. Drinkable now, but better in two or three years.

Bullnose Syrah ’21, 96 Points

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, February 2023

The 2021 Coleraine exhibits a commanding presence and majestic poise. The bouquet reveals classic aromas of cassis, dark plum and violet with whispering nuances of cedar and cigar. There are hints of warm spices, compounding the pleasure upon inhalation. The palate is bold and graceful at once, enhanced by plush texture and multi-layered mouthfeel, beautifully framed by refreshing acidity and fine chalky tannins. Robust and substantial with a great line and length, which seem to go on to infinity. This youthful wine is already impossible to resist, but time will reward those who can wait.

In sports, they often talk about ‘The Greatest of All Time’, or ‘The GOAT’. This 2021 Coleraine is undeniably THE GOAT of New Zealand wine.

Coleraine ’21, 100 Points ★★★★★

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, February 2023

Offering harmony and structure within an opulent frame of rich fruit and silky tannins, this is a gratifying red offering awesome value. The enticing bouquet shows blackcurrant, mulberry, tobacco and cedary oak characters with a delicate floral overtone. The palate displays amazing depth and persistency, wonderfully complemented by delectable fruit flavours with spicy nuances. Tannins are fine, mouth-coating and just right, making it structured and seamless at the same time.

Awatea Cabernets/Merlot ’21, 97 Points ★★★★★

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, February 2023

Expressing precision and purity, combined with brooding strength and complexity, this is spectacular and breath-taking. Immediately appealing with dark plum, sweet cherry, graphite, olive, spicy oak and floral aromas, it’s succulent and fleshy in the mouth delivering layers of seductive flavours backed by beautifully infused tannins. It’s mouthfilling and velvety with a prolonged engaging finish.

Bullnose Syrah ’21, 99 Points ★★★★★

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, February 2023

Pristine fruit notes of dark plum and sweet cherry lead the way with notes of floral, thyme, nutmeg, and mushroom, it’s finely flowing in the mouth delivering plump mouthfeel backed by refreshing acidity and polished tannins. Exquisite and elegant, yet with power and opulence, this should evolve magnificently.

Alma Pinot Noir, 96 Points ★★★★★

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, February 2023

A gorgeously composed chardonnay with a great degree of elegance, showing nectarine, rock melon, lemon peel, oatmeal, and roasted hazelnut characters on the nose, followed by a superbly structured palate that’s laced with ripe fruit intensity and stylish oak infusion. Bright acidity provides balance and frame, while richly textured mouthfeel leads to a persistent sensual finish.

Elston Chardonnay ’21, 96 Points ★★★★★

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, February 2023

Combining stunning fruit purity with elegant complexity, the wine shows crunchy apple, fig, kaffir lime and white floral aromas with a hint of savoury pastry. The palate displays excellent focus and drive, wonderfully complemented by fine texture and perfectly pitched acidity, finishing superbly long and vibrant.

Cape Crest ’21, 96 Points ★★★★★

Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide, February 2023

Breed, rather than brute power, is the hallmark of Coleraine (correctly pronounced Cole-raine rather than Coler-aine), which since its first vintage in 1982 has carved out an illustrious reputation among New Zealand’s claret-style reds. In all vintages since 2007, Cabernet Sauvignon has been the predominant variety. At its best, it is a magical Hawke’s Bay wine, with a depth, complexity and subtlety on the level of a top-class Bordeaux. The grapes are grown and hand-picked in the Havelock North hills, in the company’s warm, north-facing Buck and 1892 vineyards, and the wine is matured for 16 to 20 months in French oak barriques, predominantly new. The very elegant, beautifully poised 2021 vintage (5) is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (56 per cent), Merlot (32 per cent) and Cabernet Franc (12 per cent). Highly refined, it is deeply coloured and mouthfilling, with fresh, notably concentrated blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, hints of herbs and nuts, lovely complexity and a lasting finish. Best drinking 2026+.

Coleraine ’21, ★★★★★, Super Classic

Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide, February 2023

Positioned below its Coleraine stablemate in Te Mata’s hierarchy of Hawke’s Bay, claretstyle reds, Awatea is grown at Havelock North and in the Bullnose Vineyard, inland from Hastings. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, it is hand-harvested and matured for 15 to 18 months in French oak barriques (partly new). Compared to Coleraine, in its youth Awatea is more seductive, more perfumed, and tastes more of sweet, ripe fruit, but it is more forward and slightly less concentrated. The wine can mature gracefully for many years, but is also typically delicious in its youth. The 2021 vintage (5★) is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (50 per cent), Merlot (36 per cent) and Cabernet Franc (14 per cent). Dark and purple-flushed, it is mouthfilling, with deep blackcurrant, berry and spice flavours, complex and savoury, finely tuned tannins and a very harmonious finish. An elegant, rich, distinctive red, it offers great value and should be at its best 2026+.

Awatea Cabernets/Merlot ’21, ★★★★★, Super Classic

Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide, February 2023

This consistently classy red is estate-grown and hand-picked in the Bullnose and Isosceles vineyards, in the Bridge Pa Triangle, and the Hotspur vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels. Matured for 16 months in French oak barriques (partly new), the dark, dense 2021 vintage (5★) is still very youthful. Deeply coloured, with a fragrant, spicy bouquet, it is mouthfilling, with concentrated, vigorous blackcurrant, plum, spice and nut flavours, highly refined tannins and a harmonious, savoury, lasting finish. Best drinking 2026+.

Bullnose Syrah ’21, ★★★★★, Super Classic

Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide, February 2023

Since its debut from the 2018 vintage, Alma has emerged as the Hawke’s Bay region’s finest Pinot Noir. Estate-grown inland, at the Woodthorpe Terraces Vineyard in the Dartmoor Valley, the 2021 vintage (5★) was matured for 10 months in French oak barriques, new and seasoned. Deep, bright ruby, it is fragrant and full-bodied, with concentrated cherry, plum and spice flavours, complex and savoury, supple tannins and a rich, lingering finish. Still very youthful, it’s well worth cellaring to 2025+.

Alma Pinot Noir ’21, ★★★★★, Hawke’s Bay region’s finest Pinot Noir

Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide, February 2023

One of New Zealand’s most illustrious Chardonnays, Elston is a stylish, intense, slowly evolving wine. At around four years old, it is notably complete, showing concentration and finesse. The grapes are hand-harvested from mature vines grown in hillside vineyards above the winery at Havelock North, and the wine is fully fermented and matured for nearly a year in French oak barriques (partly new). Bright, light yellow/green, the 2021 vintage (5★) is already very expressive. Richly fragrant, it is full-bodied, with concentrated stonefruit flavours, excellent complexity, good acid spine and a savoury, long, very harmonious finish. Best drinking 2024+.

Elston Chardonnay ’21, ★★★★★, Super Classic

Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide, February 2023

This oak-aged Hawke’s Bay label is impressive for its ripely herbal, complex, sustained flavours. Most of the grapes are hand-picked in the company’s relatively warm Bullnose Vineyard, inland from Hastings (the rest is grown at Woodthorpe, in the Dartmoor Valley), and the blend includes small proportions of Sémillon (to add longevity) and Sauvignon Gris (which contributes weight and mouthfeel). The wine is fully fermented and lees-aged for eight to eleven months in French oak barriques (partly new). Bright, light lemon/green, the 2021 vintage (5★) is a richly fragrant, mouthfilling wine, with concentrated, ripe, tropical fruit flavours, finely integrated oak adding complexity, and a very harmonious, long finish. A distinctive, delicious wine, drinking well now, it should be at its best 2024+.

Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc ’21, ★★★★★, Super Classic

Michael Cooper, February 2023

This highly attractive red is a blend of Merlot (49%), Cabernet Sauvignon (43%) and Cabernet Franc (8%). Estate-grown in the Havelock Hills, the Bridge Pa Triangle, the Gimblett Gravels and the Dartmoor Valley, it was matured for a year in French oak barrels (partly new). Deeply coloured, it is fragrant, fresh and full-bodied, with very generous blackcurrant, plum, herb and spice flavours, gently seasoned with oak, and excellent vigour, structure and depth. Still very youthful, it should be at its best 2025+.

Merlot Cabernet ’21, Best Buy

James Suckling, January 2023

The Te Mata Hawke’s Bay Coleraine 2021 is a terrific young wine with superb depth and complexity as well as just the right amount of muscular tannins to give length and structure for the long term. Yet the polished texture makes it so attractive now. Is it one of the best Coleraines ever?

Redcurrant and creme de cassis aromas. Roses. So aromatic. Stones. Oyster and mussel shell. Ink pot. Lead pencil shavings. Full-bodied but very tight and focused. Linear and long with fine, powdery and chewy tannins. Crushed velvet texture. 56% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot, and 12% cabernet franc. More franc than normal in the blend. Terrific length.

Coleraine ’21, 98 Points

Anne Krebiehl MW, Decanter, December 2022

Baked plum, cream and a touch of vanilla almost have an overtone of citrus. The palate is alive with white pepper spiciness, dense with ripe plum and red cherry, while a lactic note sets another aromatic accent. Fruit and flavour are concentrated yet the texture is very fine. Tannins are like starched velvet – rich, smooth and crunchy – and the aromas just swirl with heady abandon. This presses just so many pleasure buttons.

Bullnose Syrah ’21, 96 Points

Huon Hooke, The Real Review, January 2023

Very deep bright purple colour; the bouquet shows similar mulberry, blackcurrant and raspberry fruit aromas as the Awatea but the wine is more concentrated all-round and shows a little more oak (65% new). There are violet notes and a sprinkle of spices including nutmeg too. The tannins are more persuasive and mouthcoating also, and the length is prodigious.

A smashing cabernet blend, and a top vintage for this wine.

Coleraine ’21, 97 Points ★★★★★

Huon Hooke, The Real Review, January 2023

Deep-ish purple-red colour, glowing and bright; there are fresh mulberry, blackcurrant and raspberry aromas paired with a delicate sheen of barely perceptible nuttiness from oak (30% new). The wine is tautly focused, poised and long on the palate, refined and vibrant. It’s just a babe and will reward cellaring big-time.

Awatea Cabernets/Merlot ’21, 95 Points ★★★★★

Huon Hooke, The Real Review, January 2023

Almost glass-staining purple colour, very bright; the bouquet loaded with an amalgam of brown spice aromas, toasted nuts too, including clove, nutmeg and pepper.

A powerful, concentrated and tensioned wine with bright acidity and firm but measured tannins that lead into a very long finish. Great potential here.

Bullnose Syrah ’21, 96 Points ★★★★★

Huon Hooke, The Real Review, January 2023

Brilliant and deep purple colour; remarkable for pinot noir, then an explosive bouquet of black cherry and dark plum, loaded with spices too numerous to list. Oak (30% new) is perfectly harmonised. There is no wholebunch character—less than 3% of stems were included—so the wine has amazing fruit purity. It’s very intense and vivacious in the mouth, with tight, firm but measured tannins and prodigious length.

This will richly reward a little cellar time.

Alma Pinot Noir ’21, 96 Points ★★★★★

Huon Hooke, The Real Review, January 2023

Light, bright yellow hue with a complex bouquet of sneaky hints of buttered toast, roasted hazelnuts and underlying citrus fruits, lemon and grapefruit. Creamy lees and shortbreadlike malo characters. There is excellent intensity of flavour powered along by great acidity that really drives the wine and prevents it being heavy. Concentration and drive in spadefuls. A generous, mouthfilling chardonnay with great amplitude and incredible length. Very satisfying to sip.

No hurry to drink it—and time will bring increased complexity

Elston Chardonnay ’21, 96 Points ★★★★★

Huon Hooke, The Real Review, January 2023

Light yellow hue leads into a powerful bouquet of nutty, spicy barrel-fermented aromas well meshed with ripe sauvignon fruit aromas, the palate likewise intense and long, with great volume and concentration as well as wonderful focus.

A top barrel fermented style of savvy.

Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc ’21, 96 Points ★★★★★

Huon Hooke, The Real Review, January 2023

Very deep, bright purple-red colour with a slightly raw, callow aroma of mulberry, blueberry and violet, the palate lean and sinewy with intensity and focus, tension and length, with fine, lacy tannins and good balance. Enjoy it now for its remarkable fruit purity or cellar to build some complexity.

Merlot/Cabernet ’21, 92 Points ★★★★

Huon Hooke, The Real Review, January 2023

Deep, bright purple-red colour; very attractive brown spices, liquorice, black fruit aromas, with a touch of earthy/stony character. It’s medium bodied at best, with lively palate presence encouraged by fresh acidity, the palate drying with savoury, powdery tannins and the balance is good, albeit towards the dry end of the spectrum.

Syrah ’21, 91 Points ★★★★

Huon Hooke, The Real Review, January 2023

Pale colour; very fragrant aromas, citrus fruits and small flowers, the intensity is very good and it’s bone-dry and long in the mouth.

Sauvignon Blanc ’22, 92 Points ★★★★

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, December 2022

Pineapple, fresh strawberry with green bits, guava, cinnamon oak, a
touch of match stick. Saline, crunchy, fresh pineapple, creamy, some vanilla and spiced oak, clean and fleshy, nashi pear, pink grapefruit, oregano and thyme (quite a few things, really), fine chalk dust texture, a gentle grassiness and youthful oak bobs up on a long finish. These wines age very well, so while good now, no hurry if you like them with some extra complexity.

Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc ’21, 94 Points

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, December 2022

This is Mendoza and 548 clone. 30% new French oak for 11 months. A bit more restraint and brightness to Elston these days, though it still has a certain opulence. Almond, cinnamon, nutmeg, green tobacco, a little gun smoke, nashi pear and nectarine. There’s some real lemonade flavour along with dried pear, a pleasing crunch and freshness to acidity, a friand and dried coconut richness, and a bright finish of excellent length. Ticks a lot of boxes, you might say. Very good chardonnay.

Elston Chardonnay, 94 Points

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, December 2022

Seem to have missed the 2020 Bullnose, though here we are with the 2021, which is a similar vintage in terms of quality and character, though comes with a bit more freshness in terms of acid profile, and perhaps more aromatics. Intense purple colour. Very bright and floral, a sniff of black and white pepper
and baking spice, really quite exotic perfume here, grilled meat, purple fruit, boysenberry. Gee, it really pops. Medium-bodied, bright and fresh, lots of energy, red fruits, graphite tannin, umami flavours but not at the expense of fragrance and finesse. Finish is excellent, and long, kind of dusty and spicy, a distinctly cool ‘mineral’ feel, with a game and juniper berry edge. A terrific expression of Hawke’s Bay syrah.

Bullnose Syrah ’21, 95+ Points

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, December 2022

50% cabernet sauvignon, 36% merlot and 14% cabernet franc. Tasted alongside the 2020 and while they’re obviously similar, there’s more acidity and leafy perfume in the 2021.

Blackcurrant, raspberry and leaf, tobacco, and spicy perfume, pencil/cedar oak. Medium-bodied, tannin sits so nicely within the wine, fresh and long, with classic fragrance in with that. So ‘minerally’ and cool. Very long. Precision and definition mark it out as a wine of class and fine filigreed deliciousness. It’s just
so good, energetic, stony and definitely worthy of cellaring. Superb.

Awatea Cabernets/Merlot ’21, 95+ Points

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, December 2022

56% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot, 12% cabernet franc. Because I care, I just nipped down to the cellar to open a bottle of the 2020 Coleraine to compare and contrast with the 2021. The 2020 is packed with tannin, texture, earthiness, and power, while the 2021 is brighter, a bit more frisky in acidity, with more leafy perfume. A little more flamboyant, but equal. It’s not a competition, more of a love in. The 2021 may well be the ‘better’ wine in time, though it’s kind of hard to tell, and may just come down to personal preference.

Dark and intense, lots of perfume, red and black fruits, tobacco, a leafy pop that’s pure varietal class, creamy oak, lead pencils, aniseed and spice. Medium to full-bodied, a flood of flavour, super ‘mineral’ feel to the acidity, tannin is superb, and the finish is so long. Light but so dense. There’s a fresh raspberry juiciness here too, and an extra dimension of tension and energy. All the graphite and presence. Incredible wine.

Coleraine ’21, 97+ points

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, October 2022

I just got off a Zoom tasting with the affable, intelligent and perceptive winemaker from Te Mata Estate, Phil Brodie, and we discussed what might be coming from them in vintage 2021, with respect to Awatea and Coleraine. Pretty exciting, I’d say. From my point of view, I see this entry level wine as a hybrid of the structure and thrumming power of 2019, with the rich and fleshy flavour of 2020. The shape of things to come. Pencils, black fruit, black olive, violet, spice. Medium-bodied, ripe tannin, rich, zesty, green and black olive, blue and red fruit. aniseed, crushed berries, such a good wine, so lively and packed with dark berry fruit and saline flavour. Firm grip of tannin on a very long finish. All the things. Impeccable. Hard to imagine a better value, and more serious Bordeaux blend at this price point.

Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc '20 - Richard Hemming, Jancis Robinson.com, August 2022

 Te Mata’s Cape Crest aligns with the Bordeaux model of dry, oak-influenced, ageworthy Sauvignon Blanc – and absolutely bears comparison with the great whites of Pessac-Léognan and Graves.

The 2020 vintage is a blend of 85% Sauvignon Blanc, 9% Sémillon and 6% Sauvignon Gris, fermented and matured in French oak barriques (of which 30% were new) for 11 months, which is very much the traditional recipe for the style. The result is a lip-smacking combo of butter, cream and spice, alongside box-fresh citric fruit and leafy notes that are the hallmarks of the variety.

Te Mata are best known for their reds, especially the much-admired Coleraine bordeaux blend, but when tasting their range recently it was Cape Crest that stood out for me. Not only are the flavours both utterly delicious and wholly representative of an underrated style, but it also has a beguiling waxiness that would make it an ideal partner for many types of dish. I can imagine it holding up equally well to seafood salads, creamy sauces, or even local lamb
cooked with Moroccan spices.

Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc '20, Yvonne Lorkin, August 2022

One sip and you’ll see straight away how this wine has become an absolute aristocrat in sauvignon blanc circles. Gorgeously golden in the glass, it’s crafted from a blend of 85% sauvignon blanc, 9% semillon and 6% sauvignon gris which is gently fermented in a mixture of new and seasoned French oak barrels which adds flesh and complexity. It was then aged on its lees, and stirred regularly for 11 months to create a wine scented with smoked lemongrass, soft basil, beeswax and magical marzipan. On the palate, it shows precision, supple lines and deep, lingering textures to finish. Love it. ★★★★ 1/2

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, November 2021

Coleraine ’20 – Unbelievably good. Young, but the potential is overwhelmingly potent. Floral, nutty, intense small-berried fruit, cedar, anise and sweet herb. Tight, medium-bodied, so concentrated, but light too, ultra-mineral, fresh, all the gravel and tense cabernet feel, but with perfume unlocked: so flagrant and fragrant. The length is superb. I’m taken aback by the beauty and essence-like nature of this wine. My precious. Easily one of the best wines I’ve tasted in the last decade.’ 98+ Points

Huon Hooke, The Wine Front, February 2022

Coleraine ’20 – ‘Very deep, bold, bright purple/red colour, the aromas similarly impressive for their concentration and vibrancy. The wine is superconcentrated and loaded with drying, savoury tannins that add a smidgin of bitterness that helps cleanse the aftertaste, which is formidably long. A sensational cabernet blend, gorgeously flavoured and perfumed, profound and lingering. It has the intensity and structure to age longterm. The patient will be handsomely rewarded.’ 97 Points ★★★★★

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Andy Howard MW, Decanter

‘New Zealand’s First Growth. Many critics consider Coleraine up there with the best Bordeaux blends in the world. The original intention may have been to mirror the top Cru Classé but, today, Coleraine has evolved its own style.’

Sam Kim, WineOrbit

Zara ’18 – Elegantly opulent and varietally expressive with rich texture and bright acidity, leading to a lingering delicious finish. This is outstanding.

Gorgeously fruited and fragrant, the wine shows ripe apricot, rockmelon, thyme and floral characters, leading to a concentrated palate that is wonderfully weighted and expansive. Elegantly opulent and varietally expressive with rich texture and bright acidity, leading to a lingering delicious finish. This is outstanding. 95 Points ★★★★★

Zara
Te-mata-Syrah

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, 2019

Alma’18 – ‘Revealing elegance and sophistication, the engaging bouquet shows Black Doris plum, dark cherry, warm spice and toasted nut characters with nuances of truffle and floral. The palate displays outstanding concentration and focus, while offering rich texture and expansive mouthfeel, superbly framed by loads of fine, polished tannins. Multi-layered and magnificently flowing to an impressively long silky finish. The wine is gloriously composed and expressed, promising to evolve gracefully. The wine exhibits classic Te Mata elegance, freshness and refinement within a perfectly formed structure.’ 96 Points ★★★★★

On Coleraine

‘This highly collectible red is snapped up every year it is released.’

Bob Campbell MW, Kia Ora Magazine, June 2018

‘Te Mata Estate Coleraine has won well-deserved iconic status for a string of elegant and complex wines that first appeared in 1982, blazing a trail for others to follow.’

Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review, June 2018

‘If there was Kiwi wine aristocracy, Te Mata would be it. Nestled in the foothills of the Te Mata heritage zone, they make some of the best wines in the country. Independent, family-owned, exclusively Hawke’s Bay, and committed to making premium wine on site.’

Cuisine Wine, 2017

‘New Zealand’s Grange equivalent, only Coleraine comes from one place, is much cheaper, and to my tastes, is significantly better and more interesting.’ 96+ Points

Gary Walsh. The Wine Front, Australia. March 2017

‘The legendary cabernet sauvignon and merlot blend of NZ. New Zealand’s Sassicaia.’

James Suckling, jamessuckling.com, USA 2012

‘My benchmark. I’ve had every vintage of Coleraine the Buck family have made, from the inaugural 1982 to the current 2015. Te Mata Estate is the standard by which every other wine producer could be judged. The full range of styles has always been impeccable.’

Raymond Chan Wine Reviews ‘ Setting the Standard’, June 2017

Wine writer André Simon in 1964 on tasting a 1912 Te Mata Estate red blend half a century after it was first bottled … ‘This really is quite good. No sign of decay. One would not have thought it would have kept this long. Remarkable, quite remarkable.’

‘New Zealand Wines and the Question of Age’ Rebecca Gibb, Meininger’s Wine Business International, September 2018

‘Arguably New Zealand’s most prestigious wine. No one dreamed such a wine could be made from New Zealand grapes. Dramatically raising the bar for red wine in New Zealand.’

Coleraine ’16 Review Summary, Bob Campbell Decanter Magazine, October 2018

‘A great wine from the very first vintage. Consistently great.’

Huon Hooke, The Real Review October 2018

‘A national treasure. A benchmark, with a remarkable track record for age-worthiness. Consistently high quality and style have been hallmarks since day one.’

Linda Murphy, jancisrobinson.com. October 2018|

‘The Buck family of the Te Mata estate produce the best New Zealand wine I have come across … could have passed muster as a classed-growth claret.’

Bruce Anderson, The Spectator, May 2020

Contact Us

telephone 0800 836 282 (NZ)

(+64) 6 877 4399 (International)

email cellardoor@temata.co.nz

location 349 Te Mata Road, RD 12, Havelock North 4294

post PO Box 8335, Havelock North 4157

Cellar door is open every day of summer

MONDAY - SATURDAY
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