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

Coleraine is one of New Zealand’s most important, age-worthy wines. Cabernet Sauvignon usually forms 60% of the blend with Merlot around 30% and Cabernet Franc the balance... Many critics consider it up there with the best Bordeaux blends in the world. Judging by the quality of recent vintages, it seems very unlikely that we will see this change any time soon. DECANTER

This is captivating and totally seductive... HUON HOOKE

Tremendous persistence and wonderful structure. SAM KIM

 

The most anticipated release from New Zealand in any given year is undoubtedly Te Mata's legendary Coleraine. An undeniable icon which has remained at the top of the pile as New Zealand’s wine landscape has pitched and turned beneath it over the last few decades. The wine's dedicated collectors and fans will have already skipped pass the blurb to add another vintage to their cellar such is this wine's reputation for uninterrupted brilliance spanning an ever-growing string of vintages. 

Coleraine is Ta Mata's piece de resistance, a Bordeaux style blend that is all about beauty, refinement, and understated power. Often shy and reticent in its youth, its beguiling aromas slip between floral inflected cassis fruit, pinches of cedar spice and a gravelly mineral spritz. Its power creeps up on you, gentle at first, and then builds and builds, driving on and on as the fine chalky structure emerges and usurps the finish. Give one of these the requisite time in the cellar, they go long, and you will have all the fireworks of great Bordeaux. It marries old word finesse and refinement with a distinctive Hawkes Bay stamp.

Te Mata are one of those Mount Rushmore wineries that continue to dial in those minute tweaks and adjustment in the vineyard and winery to push things forward despite their incredible record for greatness over most of my lifetime. It's that dedication and Shokunin spirit that has led to Jancis Robinson naming them 'national treasure', being listed as one of only five 'Icon Wineries of New Zealand' by Wine Advocate and James Suckling including Coleraine in his 'Top 50 Wines of the World'. 

The 2022 vintage is no exception resulting in wines Te Mata believe show "great varietal expression, restraint, tension, power, and length." The reviews below are once again glowing, Erin Larkin calls the '22 Coleraine "irresistible...a ripper", Huon: "perfectly proportioned...majestic" and with "..exceptional concentration" and Sam Kim enamoured by its "Tremendous persistence and wonderful structure..." It's another stellar release that shows that there is some magic in those hills behind Napier's Art Deco facades and towards the towering Te Mata peak. 

Given the price of the great Bordeaux blends in the world and where Coleraine sits in that hierarchy there is still remarkable value to be found here as well. This is a wine of incredible provenance with a proven track record for brilliant results from long term cellaring. This is a wine you will want to be opening in 10, 20, 30 years times so do your future self a favour and grab some for the cellar.

PRODUCTS IN THIS OFFER

  1. Te Mata Coleraine Cabernet Merlot 2022
    Te Mata Coleraine Cabernet Merlot 2022

    The ‘King of the Grape’ Cabernet Sauvignon comes to the fore with its flatteringly classy presence. This is captivating and totally seductive on the nose, exhibiting blackcurrant, violet, game, anise, subtle tobacco and cedary oak characters, leading to a powerfully concentrated palate displaying considerable depth and exceptional concentration. Harmonious too, it’s gloriously structured and balanced with a firm grip, yet the tannins are just right and seamlessly infused. Perfectly proportioned, this 2022 has the majestic feel that each previous Coleraine possess. A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot & 3% Cabernet Franc. At its best: 2032 to 2052. (99) HUON HOOKE, The Real Review

    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 (I know this smell because I was hiking around the Te Mata peak yesterday, and there was a fallen pine tree lying in the sun, and it smelled great) 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.

    "The highlight of vintage 2022 was the Cabernet Sauvignon components,” says winemaker Phil Brodie (here at Te Mata for 31 vintages). For the fans playing at home, wondering whether or not there will be a 2023 Coleraine, I have good news, friends—there will be. 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. (97+) ERIN LARKIN, Wine Advocate

    Deep, brooding purple-red colour with a concentrated berry fruit bouquet laced with cedar, violets and dried herbs, gorgeous fruit and classy oak embellishment. The wine is full bodied and powerful, with a generous serving of fine grained tannins that add length, authority and a drying but supple finish. Tremendous persistence and wonderful structure. A great wine, that will richly reward long-term cellaring. (98) SAM KIM, Wine Orbit

    $165.00 As low as $148.50