October 14, 2024
100 Pointed Te Mata Coleraine 2018 & 2019
"Majestic offering... sturdy and structured with a seemingly endless finish. Flawless and spellbinding" - 100 Points, Wine Orbit
"Legendary Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend of NZ. New Zealand’s Sassicaia" - James Suckling
Te Mata Estate has an impressive heritage, with over 100 years of winemaking experience. Despite being a young winemaking country, New Zealand has managed to establish Te Mata Estate as one of its finest wineries. Renowned wine critic Robert Parker has hailed it as "New Zealand's greatest winery" while Decanter has called it "New Zealand's first growth."
Te Mata Estate, founded in 1854 by English migrant John Chambers, is a highly regarded winery in New Zealand. Over the years, it has gained recognition for producing some of the country's most iconic and sought-after wines. While the winery started to take off in 1892, it was the idea of Bernard, the third son, that truly propelled Te Mata Estate to success. After a trip to France, he decided to plant vineyards on the north-facing hills around Havelock North, inspired by the winemaking techniques of the Medoc region.
Te Mata's top cuvee, the Coleraine has grown to fame as one of the most sought-after Bordeaux blends outside of the Medoc. James Suckling praised the wine to be the Sassicaia of New Zealand whilst Jancis Robinson called it the "national treasure" of New Zealand.
Today, we have both the 2018 and 2019 vintage to present and both are fantastic value as part of our mailing list special.
Te Mata Coleraine 2019
100 Points | Wine Orbit
Destined for a long life, this majestic offering shows cassis, dark plum, hint of tobacco, cedar and floral aromas on the nose. The palate is packed with rich fruit intensity combined with layers of silky texture and complex flavours, wonderfully supported by perfectly pitched chalky tannins, making it sturdy and structured with a seemingly endless finish. Flawless and spellbinding. A blend of 59 cabernet sauvignon, 37% merlot & 4% cabernet franc. At its best: 2029 to 2049.
98 Points | The Real Review
Made from 59% cabernet sauvignon with merlot and cabernet franc. Ripe, cassis and berry flavours with a seasoning of spice. This wine represents elegance on a grand scale and is on one of the best vintage I've tasted. It has plushness and power with great potential.
96 Points | Vinous
I’m really excited about the 2019 Coleraine – and you should be too. This stylish Cabernet-dominant blend offers precision and purity. A splash of Cabernet Franc brings a chic herbal twist to the sweet black currant fruit, which combines with mocha, mushrooms and festive spices on the long, elegant finish. There's just the right amount of padding, adding charm to this focused and concentrated blend. It has a rich tannic structure but it's in proportion with the wine, holding the mouth with resolved, finely extracted texture. Sophisticated stuff.
Te Mata Coleraine 2018
98 Points | Wine Orbit
Undeniably well-crafted and impeccably styled, the wine exhibits cassis, dark cherry, cedar, violet and subtle tobacco characters on the nose with a light seasoning of warm spice. The palate offers outstanding concentration and multi-layered mouthfeel, combined with fabulous fruit purity and elegant oak undertones, leading to an impressively prolonged finish backed by seamlessly integrated chalky tannins. A wine of sublime sophistication and presence. At its best: 2026 to 2038.
98 Points | The Real Review
Very deep, concentrated, bright purple/red colour. The bouquet is exquisite with a multitude of black fruits, blueberry, cassis, violet and cedar aromas, and much more besides. The detail is outstanding, as is the intensity of the palate. It’s very concentrated and powerful, firmly-structured and has tremendous persistence. The tannins are firm and abundant and will help guarantee a long life, but they are ripe and accessible and the wine is already approachable. (52% cabernet sauvignon, 33% merlot, 15% cabernet franc)
96 Points | Vinous
After a tricky 2017 vintage in Hawke's Bay, Coleraine is back on form in 2018: the warm growing season and lengthy autumn allowed the team at Te Mata the luxury of picking long into April. This is packed with youthful vitality and primary fruit. There is layer upon layer of flavor here, from sweet raspberry fruit on entry through cassis, cocoa and roses with tea leaf and pencil lead on the lengthy conclusion. It is delicate but there's always an innate intensity within its silken core. The tannins are fine-grained and resolved, and the finish is long and drawn out. Another smash hit that will easily improve over the coming two decades. The final blend is 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc; the wines spent 17 months maturing in French oak.