Te Mata Coleraine 2020

A blend of cabernet sauvignon 57% , merlot 36% and cabernet franc 7% . A deeply-tinted, almost inky wine with layers of sumptuous fruit and savoury characters, including cassis, red rose, dark chocolate, hedgerow, anise and nutty oak. A generously proportioned, youthful red that is already surprisingly accessible but promises to age gracefully.

• Drinking Window: 2022 - 2046
• Reviewer Name: Bob Campbell
• Review Date: January 2022

The 2020 Coleraine is a wine that's going to give and give over the long term with its elegant shape and huge substance. Winemaker Phil Brodie explained that this was a year where Merlot acted like Cabernet Sauvignon, offering depth and richness of tannins, and he wasn’t kidding: the power within the wine and the mass of gravelly tannins coat all sides of the palate. There's intense yet slightly sweet black currant and blackberry fruit combined with cocoa and licorice. The lengthy finish is fragrantly spiced with flavors reminiscent of cinnamon, cocoa and black tea. While silken in the mouth, this conveys an overall impression of muscle and depth. Rather closed due to its youth, but it appears more impressive than the 2019 for its structure and smidgen of extra ripeness (14% in 2020 versus 13.5% in 2019). Those who prefer their classical clarets for freshness and line (e.g., 2010 over 2009 Bordeaux) may prefer the 2019 over the 2020, but the class of the 2020 can't be denied.

• Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040
• Reviewer Name: Rebecca Gibb MW
• Review Date: April 2022

The 2020 Coleraine is seriously structured, dark and spicy, with great concentration and gravitas. The tannins are so integrated and woven that they feel almost imperceptible. This is spicy and resinous and charry, but its fine and graphite and mineral too. Chalky tannins plume through the supple fruit. Very cool. It's exciting, plush, open weave and sensational.

• Drinking Window: 2023 - 2040
• Reviewer Name: Erin Larkin