Te Mata Estate’s legendary Coleraine. Photo / supplied
Te Mata Estate’s legendary Coleraine. Photo / supplied
The severe tropical cyclone, Gabrielle, devastated the North Island’s wine regions in February 2023. After an exceptionally wet, cool growing season, some wineries declared their top red-wine labels would not be produced that year.
In Hawke’s Bay, 25% of the grape crop was destroyed. But the latter part of theharvest period brought more settled, warmer and drier weather, allowing some late-ripening varieties to perform well. So, how did this affect the 2023 vintage of Te Mata Estate’s legendary Coleraine, a blend based on the thick-skinned, late-ripening, cabernet sauvignon variety?
“Coleraine is Te Mata,” says senior winemaker Phil Brodie, “and Coleraine is cabernet sauvignon, the king of grapes.” He points to an array of painstaking viticultural practices that allowed Te Mata to harvest its finest cabernet sauvignon in “wonderful condition.” You can taste that in the wine.
Te Mata Elston Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2023
★★★★★
Hand-harvested from mature hillside vineyards above the winery at Havelock North, this fresh, youthful wine was handled in French oak barriques. Medium-to-full-bodied, it is elegant, tight-knit and savoury. Concentrated, peachy, citrusy, mealy flavours reveal excellent complexity, lively acidity and a persistent finish. (13% alc/vol) $50
Te Mata Cape Crest Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2023
In style, this oak-aged wine resembles the white wines of Bordeaux (based on sauvignon blanc and sémillon) far more than Marlborough sauvignon blanc. A distinctive, full-bodied wine, it has strong, vigorous, passionfruit-like flavours, some citrusy, appley notes, good complexity, and a crisp, dry, long finish. (13% alc/vol) $40
Te Mata Bullnose Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2023
★★★★½
This stylish red was hand-picked in the Bridge Pā Triangle and the Gimblett Gravels. Fresh, elegant and supple, it is a medium-to-full-bodied, vividly varietal wine, with strong red berry, plum and black pepper flavours, oak complexity and refined tannins. Best drinking 2027+. (13% alc/vol) $80
Te Mata Coleraine 2023
★★★★★
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 blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, oak complexity, and a finely structured, very harmonious finish. Best drinking 2030+. (13.5% alc/vol) $175
This refined red is a generous blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. Mouthfilling, it has deep blackcurrant, plum, spice and herb flavours, in a savoury, supple style, showing excellent vigour and harmony. (13.5% alc/vol) $50
